Massive stroke leaves former PDI guard partly paralyzed

Jose Ariel Alejandro

Jose Ariel Alejandro, a former security guard of the Philippine Daily Inquirer (PDI), suffered a massive stroke last month, leaving half of his body paralyzed.

“It started when his blood pressure shot up in October, prompting doctors to prescribe maintenance medicine for him. He did not tell me that he had stopped buying his medicine after taking it for only 10 days. He probably thought it was too expensive at P43 per tablet,” said his wife, Jane.

After leaving the Inquirer in 2016 because of a reshuffle within the security agency, Alejandro, who is only 40 years old, started working at a condominium building in Makati City.

When he suffered a stroke on Dec. 15 last year, he was brought to San Mateo Doctors Hospital in San Mateo, Rizal.

“He can now talk clearly. He almost lost his ability to speak after taking four medicines daily. But he still cannot move half of his body, especially his right arm and leg,” Jane said.

She is asking Inquirer readers for help because she and her husband still owe the hospital around P200,000. On top of that, he must take several medicines daily worth P124.

Jane can be reached at (0999) 1639476. Donations may be deposited in her Metrobank account (Jane Alejandro, account number 3823-3822-2629-2).