This is a true story of a young woman who went through the most gruesome fire. When you read her story, you’ll realize that your trials are absolutely nothing compared to what this young girl went through.
It was September 25, 2000. Maricel Apatan was an 11-year old girl in Zamboanga. On that day, this little girl went with her uncle to draw water.
Along the way, four men met them. They were carrying long knives. They told her uncle to face down on the ground, and they hacked him on the neck and killed him.
Maricel was in total shock, especially that the men were their neighbors. She tried to escape, but the men ran after her.
She cried, “Kuya, ‘wag po, ‘wag n’yo akong tagain! Maawa po kayo sa akin!” (“Don’t kill me! Have mercy on me!”)
But they weren’t listening. With a long knife, a man slashed her on the neck too.
Maricel fell to the ground and lost consciousness.
When she woke up, she saw a lot of blood. She also saw the feet of the men around her, but she pretended to be dead.
When they walked away, Maricel ran back home. But along the way, she saw that both her hands were falling off. Because the men hacked them too. She cried but she kept running.
Sometimes, she would faint and fall to the ground. But she’d regain consciousness and run again.
When she was near her home, Maricel called her mother.
Upon seeing her daughter, her mother screamed in terror. She wrapped her bloodied child in a blanket and carried her to the hospital.
Here was the problem: From her house to the highway, it was a 12-kilometer walk. It took them 4 hours just to reach the highway.
When they arrived in the hospital, the doctors thought Maricel was going to die. But for 5 hours, they operated on her. It took 25 stitches to stitch together the long knife wound in her neck and back.
Maricel barely survived. And she lost both of her hands.
Ironically, the next day was Maricel’s birthday. She was 12 years old.
But tragedy didn’t end there. When they went home, they saw their home was gone. It was ransacked and burned down by the goons.
Being very poor, Maricel’s family also didn’t have P50,000 for their hospital bills.
But God sent many angels along the way to help them.
Archbishop Antonio Ledesma, a distant relative, paid for hospital bills and helped them bring the criminals to court. They were sentenced to prison.
Today, she’s staying with the nuns at Regina Rosarii with Sr. Eppie Brasil, O.P.
But this is the incredible miracle. Instead of staying down, Maricel kept running.
Instead of cursing God why she had no hands, she now uses her wrists in incredible ways that will boggle your mind.
Maricel Apatan
Maricel was cited as the most industrious, best in computer, and most courteous in the School for Crippled Children.
In 2008, she graduated from a course in Hotel and Restaurant Management. She even received a Gold medal for Arts and Crafts.
In 2011, she finished her education to be a chef. Yes, a Chef without hands.
Nothing can stop this young lady from reaching her dreams.
Real Winners Don’t Give Up!
From India, Mumbai
127It was September 25, 2000. Maricel Apatan was an 11-year old girl in Zamboanga. On that day, this little girl went with her uncle to draw water.
Along the way, four men met them. They were carrying long knives. They told her uncle to face down on the ground, and they hacked him on the neck and killed him.
Maricel was in total shock, especially that the men were their neighbors. She tried to escape, but the men ran after her.
She cried, “Kuya, ‘wag po, ‘wag n’yo akong tagain! Maawa po kayo sa akin!” (“Don’t kill me! Have mercy on me!”)
But they weren’t listening. With a long knife, a man slashed her on the neck too.
Maricel fell to the ground and lost consciousness.
When she woke up, she saw a lot of blood. She also saw the feet of the men around her, but she pretended to be dead.
When they walked away, Maricel ran back home. But along the way, she saw that both her hands were falling off. Because the men hacked them too. She cried but she kept running.
Sometimes, she would faint and fall to the ground. But she’d regain consciousness and run again.
When she was near her home, Maricel called her mother.
Upon seeing her daughter, her mother screamed in terror. She wrapped her bloodied child in a blanket and carried her to the hospital.
Here was the problem: From her house to the highway, it was a 12-kilometer walk. It took them 4 hours just to reach the highway.
When they arrived in the hospital, the doctors thought Maricel was going to die. But for 5 hours, they operated on her. It took 25 stitches to stitch together the long knife wound in her neck and back.
Maricel barely survived. And she lost both of her hands.
Ironically, the next day was Maricel’s birthday. She was 12 years old.
But tragedy didn’t end there. When they went home, they saw their home was gone. It was ransacked and burned down by the goons.
Being very poor, Maricel’s family also didn’t have P50,000 for their hospital bills.
But God sent many angels along the way to help them.
Archbishop Antonio Ledesma, a distant relative, paid for hospital bills and helped them bring the criminals to court. They were sentenced to prison.
Today, she’s staying with the nuns at Regina Rosarii with Sr. Eppie Brasil, O.P.
But this is the incredible miracle. Instead of staying down, Maricel kept running.
Instead of cursing God why she had no hands, she now uses her wrists in incredible ways that will boggle your mind.
Maricel Apatan
Maricel was cited as the most industrious, best in computer, and most courteous in the School for Crippled Children.
In 2008, she graduated from a course in Hotel and Restaurant Management. She even received a Gold medal for Arts and Crafts.
In 2011, she finished her education to be a chef. Yes, a Chef without hands.
Nothing can stop this young lady from reaching her dreams.
Real Winners Don’t Give Up!
From India, Mumbai
That's a good one Anita P Panicker.
Reminds me of a poem titled "Don't Quit"--not sure who wrote it:
When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low, and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit--
Rest if you must, but Don't you Quit.
Life is queer with it's twists and turns,
As everyone of us sometimes learns,
And many a fellow turns about
When he might have won had he stuck it out.
Don't give up though the pace seems slow--
You may succeed with another blow.
Often the goal is nearer than
It seems to a faint and faltering man,
Often the struggler has given up,
When he might have captured the victor's cup,
And he learned too late when the night came down,
How close he was to the golden crown.
Success is failure turned inside out--
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems afar;
So stick to the fight when you are hardest hit--
It's when things seem worst that you mustn't quit.
Rgds,
TS
From India, Hyderabad
Reminds me of a poem titled "Don't Quit"--not sure who wrote it:
When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low, and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit--
Rest if you must, but Don't you Quit.
Life is queer with it's twists and turns,
As everyone of us sometimes learns,
And many a fellow turns about
When he might have won had he stuck it out.
Don't give up though the pace seems slow--
You may succeed with another blow.
Often the goal is nearer than
It seems to a faint and faltering man,
Often the struggler has given up,
When he might have captured the victor's cup,
And he learned too late when the night came down,
How close he was to the golden crown.
Success is failure turned inside out--
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems afar;
So stick to the fight when you are hardest hit--
It's when things seem worst that you mustn't quit.
Rgds,
TS
From India, Hyderabad
Hi Tajsateesh,
Thanks and a very sweet poem, which can be connected to every individual's life. Actually this poem was posted as anonymously, the author did not want any one to know he wrote poems, the name of the Author
'Don't Quit' - is G. Haughey
Well, the story goes that this young man by the name, Gerard Haughey, was a typical poet hobbyist. In other words he wrote poems here and there as a hobby. He says he always had a poem for his 'girlfriend', and admits that even his 'wife' now, has one! But Gerard's poem "Don't Quit", wasn't really written for the masses, "it just turned out that way" he says. The poem was well-intentioned from the start, this much is for sure but who knew it would grow to be so impressive in this very big world of ours? Not he!
Gerard worked at New York Hospital from 1992-1999 and says that somewhere, simetime, in between those years, he wrote 'Don't Quit' while working a night shift. The famous poem was no more famous than the other of the bunch of poems written and posted up on a dayroom bulletin board on Unit 4 South, a psychiatric in-patient unit at New York Hospital. Gerard was a 'Mental Health Worker' and says that "putting people in strait jackets was a job that broke my heart, writing poems for those very same patient's, put my heart back together again".
The story goes that someone came across "Don't Quit" and from there its wings were in the hands of fate. Gerard says the confusion over who wrote the poem was due to the fact that he had to write the poems, he posted up, anonymously. "I would have certainly been relieved of my job had my peers known I was going around posting poems. I might have been perceived as too emotional. So I just kept it to myself and posted them anonymously. It (postin poems) was my little secret between God and me". Gerard says this all happened a long time ago now and wants the world to know who he is.
Regards
Anita
From India, Mumbai
Thanks and a very sweet poem, which can be connected to every individual's life. Actually this poem was posted as anonymously, the author did not want any one to know he wrote poems, the name of the Author
'Don't Quit' - is G. Haughey
Well, the story goes that this young man by the name, Gerard Haughey, was a typical poet hobbyist. In other words he wrote poems here and there as a hobby. He says he always had a poem for his 'girlfriend', and admits that even his 'wife' now, has one! But Gerard's poem "Don't Quit", wasn't really written for the masses, "it just turned out that way" he says. The poem was well-intentioned from the start, this much is for sure but who knew it would grow to be so impressive in this very big world of ours? Not he!
Gerard worked at New York Hospital from 1992-1999 and says that somewhere, simetime, in between those years, he wrote 'Don't Quit' while working a night shift. The famous poem was no more famous than the other of the bunch of poems written and posted up on a dayroom bulletin board on Unit 4 South, a psychiatric in-patient unit at New York Hospital. Gerard was a 'Mental Health Worker' and says that "putting people in strait jackets was a job that broke my heart, writing poems for those very same patient's, put my heart back together again".
The story goes that someone came across "Don't Quit" and from there its wings were in the hands of fate. Gerard says the confusion over who wrote the poem was due to the fact that he had to write the poems, he posted up, anonymously. "I would have certainly been relieved of my job had my peers known I was going around posting poems. I might have been perceived as too emotional. So I just kept it to myself and posted them anonymously. It (postin poems) was my little secret between God and me". Gerard says this all happened a long time ago now and wants the world to know who he is.
Regards
Anita
From India, Mumbai
That's a nice backgrounder Anita.
Like they say: every BIG thought/action has a humble/innocuous beginning--those involved/associated with the 'beginning' wouldn't have had the faintest idea of where their efforts would lead to.
Thanks & Rgds,
TS
From India, Hyderabad
Like they say: every BIG thought/action has a humble/innocuous beginning--those involved/associated with the 'beginning' wouldn't have had the faintest idea of where their efforts would lead to.
Thanks & Rgds,
TS
From India, Hyderabad
Hi Anita and TS,
Motivating wonderful inputs from both of you.
Maricel may not have Active hands.
By her deeds she has surpassed the vast majority of those who have the hands.
After reading this my hand salutes her courage, determination, motivation and the will to help others.
I hope many other hands will.
V.Raghunathan..................................... ............Navi Mumbai
From India
Motivating wonderful inputs from both of you.
Maricel may not have Active hands.
By her deeds she has surpassed the vast majority of those who have the hands.
After reading this my hand salutes her courage, determination, motivation and the will to help others.
I hope many other hands will.
V.Raghunathan..................................... ............Navi Mumbai
From India
Hello Anita & tajsateesh
What a heart rending story, Anita and it is a glowing example of how a 'never failing resolve and optimisim' made her vanquish death and embrace life all again. The poem quoted by Tajsateesh aptly reinforces this belief.Though I do not vividly remember the words, Saul Palo in his famous book "Alchemist" said if you are determined and postive, the nature conspires to help you.This became true in the case of Maricel. Thanks for sharing.
B.Saikumar
Mumbai
From India, Mumbai
What a heart rending story, Anita and it is a glowing example of how a 'never failing resolve and optimisim' made her vanquish death and embrace life all again. The poem quoted by Tajsateesh aptly reinforces this belief.Though I do not vividly remember the words, Saul Palo in his famous book "Alchemist" said if you are determined and postive, the nature conspires to help you.This became true in the case of Maricel. Thanks for sharing.
B.Saikumar
Mumbai
From India, Mumbai
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