Life is full of unexpected turn of events. This very fact is exciting and scary concomitantly. These are the events we believe to be absolutely fantastic or horrendously wrong. The thing is, it’s truly neither of the two. It’s just how we perceive it. Both people can experience the same event yet one might think it’s a blessing and the other, a curse.
Regin is part of the first batch of Bliss Scholars in 2016. He is a man of strong faith and believes that everything happens for a reason. He took on the role of being the man of the household and became the breadwinner when his father passed away. He sacrificed to be out of school so his brother could go instead. He later on attended college and knew that expenses for both of them were just going to sky rocket. He remembers wishing a way for him to get a scholarship and lo and behold, he found an announcement about the upcoming application period for Bliss Scholarship. And the rest was history.
He excelled in studying to become a teacher. He was one of the 5 students selected from the hundred other students in the university to be a part of the Erasmus Exchange Student Teacher program. He graduated in 2017, passed the board exams and instantly found a job. Life seemed to be smooth sailing from there.
Soon after his employment, his mom got very ill. Her kidneys shut down completely. She had to get immediate care and a permanent plan to undergo dialysis. No one would’ve thought that about a year from Regin’s graduation, his health will suffer the same fate. He described how breathing was more like drowning, his feet and legs were swelling and how he was so fatigued that he had to leave teaching after that school year.
There was no end in sight and yet his faith kept him strong. He was grateful for life and cherished it even more. Inability to teach did not stop him to continue to provide for him and his mom’s needs. He now sells frozen goods in his hometown, Alcala, Pangasinan.
Regin’s family was bombarded by multiple unexpected turn of events that did not break them. And as he very well said, “when we are facing life problems, don’t give up. Always remember that these are God-given challenges to make us stronger in the future.” They are true fighters for life and serve as an inspiration to everyone.
We love you Regin and mom! You both rock! Stay Blissful everyone!