Elders in the Philippines Prove that True and Endless Love Exists

Committing with each other with such a great passion and dedication is hard to come by these days. Though one couple in the Philippines have proven that being together in a lifetime can happen no matter what it takes.

Meet Lola Aurelia Matias, living just a simple life along with her family and a loving husband Lolo Luis Matias.  On November 10, Lolo Luis Matias was lost. The family may have suspects that Lolo Luis is suffering from dementia, and he is 78 years old. Just for a quick info,  dementia (taken from Latin, originally meaning "madness", from de- "without" + ment, the root of mens "mind") is a serious loss of cognitive ability in a previously unimpaired person, beyond what might be expected from normal aging. It may be static, the result of a unique global brain injury, or progressive, resulting in long-term decline due to damage or disease in the body. Although dementia is far more common in the geriatric population, it can occur before the age of 65, in which case it is termed "early onset dementia".

Lola Aurelia

Dementia is not a single disease, but rather a non-specific illness syndrome (i.e., set of signs and symptoms) in which affected areas of cognition may be memory, attention, language, and problem solving. It is normally required to be present for at least 6 months to be diagnosed; cognitive dysfunction that has been seen only over shorter times, in particular less than weeks, must be termed delirium. In all types of general cognitive dysfunction, higher mental functions are affected first in the process.

Especially in the later stages of the condition, affected persons may be disoriented in time (not knowing what day of the week, day of the month, or even what year it is), in place (not knowing where they are), and in person (not knowing who they, or others around them, are). Dementia, though often treatable to some degree, is usually due to causes that are progressive and incurable.

According to their grandson Ej Avanceña, as interviewed by GMA News, a local broadcasting network here in the Philippines, Lolo Luis was last seen on November 10 around Pasay Rotonda area, one of the busiest place in Manila.

Reddie Js

The hunt that involves almost all people in the country was made possible when a Facebook user Reddie Js, a street photographer and a photography enthusiast posted a photo of Lola Aurelia on his facebook account last Monday, November 21. Lola Aurelia is roaming along Roxas Boulevard with a picture of her lost husband Lolo Luis pinned at the back of her dress. Just like a virus, the photo was immediately shared among users 53,760 times or maybe even more. 

Reddie Js told GMA News Online that he had "chanced upon Lola Aurelia sitting at the corner of Buendia Avenue and Roxas Boulevard."  He said, "Nung makita ko yung pinned flyers sa damit niya naawa ako sa status ni Lola that she will go to that extent na maglagay pa s’ya ng ganun to find Lola. Pero sabi ko din ang galing. Love n’ya tlga si Lolo (When I saw the flyers pinned on her dress, I felt bad for her. She had to go to that extent to find him. But I found it amazing. She really loves him)."

Reddie Js then approached Lola Aurelia and asked for a copy of the flyer pinned to her dress. He then asked for permission to take her picture and post it on Facebook. Lola Aurelia agreed.

Kara David

Kara David, a GMA News correspondent helped Lola Aurelia to respond to any calls pertaining the possible whereabouts of Lolo Luis. One call made her world collapsed when someone told them that there is a man brought in a hospital but declared dead. Such a great relief, that when they rushed to the place, it's not Lolo Luis. They then went to a bus station when someone called that they thought someone with the same description of Lolo Luis was spotted on the scene, but unfortunately, Lolo Luis was nowhere to found. 

Lola Aurelia never seen any signs on giving up, Kara David said that they will try again tomorrow because it's probably getting late, Lola Aurelia might be exhausted on a long day.

But the day never ends without a good news, Lolo Luis was found sleeping under the Quirino LRT Station, an elevated train station here in the country. To their relief, when Lola Aurelia approached Lolo Luis with a big smile showing how thankful he was seeing a familiar face, Lola Aurelia hugs Lolo Luis as tight as she can.

"Till death do us part" might be far from reach from any of us, but if you ask Lola Aurelia, she will definitely tell you that it's worth to try. The couple just humbly shows the world that taking care for each other is not a burden to carry, but a privilege not everybody can achieve, yet, still possible to have.

"The best and most beautiful things in this world cannot be seen or even heard, but must be felt with the heart." - by Helen Keller.

Cheerio!