A heart doctor from St. Luke’s Medical Center in Quezon City revealed that comedian Chokoleit was already having a heart attack in the middle of his performance in Abra on March 9.
The comedian passed away after experiencing difficulty in breathing after performing for nearly half an hour in the said event.
His doctor said that he later succumbed to pulmonary edema and heart attack.
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After the incident, PEP.ph consulted a heart expert to give his observation on Chokoleit’s last performance. The doctor, name withheld, said that Chokoleit was already having a heart attack onstage.
There was a part in Chokoleit’s performance when he sang the song “Kung Maputi Na Ang Buhok Ko” and the doctor said that he could have been saved if he cut his performance short and left the stage after that song.
“Nagkaroon muna siya ng heart attack bago ang pulmonary edema dahil sa congestion,” said the doctor, adding that, “Mataba rin si Chokoleit so, probably, baka may underlying heart problem din siya.”
“Siyempre, ano ba ang trabaho mo, 24/7 ‘yan dahil depende kung anong oras matatapos… Siguro, immediately after his first performance, yung unang kanta niya, huminto na dapat siya.
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“Kasi, after that song, may shortness of breath na. Nagsalita na siya ng ‘Hinihingal ako.’
“Pero hindi naman madaling ma-identify ang nangyayari kay Chokoleit, lalo na big stage, ‘tapos yung colleagues mo, nasa backstage.
“Kung napansin agad yung nangyayari sa kanya, baka nadala pa siya sa ospital at na-save.
“Pero hindi mo masasabi dahil yung MI [Myocardial Infarction], napakabilis.
“Di ba, traydor na sakit nga ‘yan?” the doctor added, saying that Chokoleit might not have ended his performance out of courtesy and professionalism.
“Baka bago pa lang siya umakyat sa stage, may nararamdaman na siya, kaya lang, as performer, hindi siya puwedeng mag-back out. Baka nahihiya siyang magsabing may nararamdaman siya.
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“Nakaapekto rin sa kanya ang pag-akyat sa mataas na hagdan dahil may adrenaline rush na. Kailangan niyang mag-perform, kailangang magpatawa siya dahil komedyante siya. Pero mapapansin sa kanyang may lapses na. More than the normal activity yun.
“Hindi ordinary na habang naglalakad ka, nagsasalita ka, kumakanta ka, tumatakbu-takbo ka, nag-iisip ka kung paano mo mapapatawa ang audience mo. Iba na yung aura niya. Dapat dire-diretso ang pagpe-perform niya. Siya, humihinto, bumabalik, ‘tapos sinasabi niya na, ‘Dito na nga lang ako,'” he explained
The doctor also pointed out that Chokoleit was far from looking normal when his performance ended.
“Tiningnan ko talaga isa-isa ang mga ginawa niya… kaya pagtayo niya sa last part, pinutol niya agad, nagsalita siya ng, ‘Good evening, Abra.’
“‘Tapos pagtalikod niya, talagang hagok na hagok na siya, yun na ang pulmonary edema—ang pamamaga ng lungs because of heart failure.
“Kumbaga, yung heart mo, trabaho nang trabaho, pump nang pump to supply oxygen sa buong system. Pero yung heart, walang oxygen, kasi maaaring may pagbabara na sa heart vessels.
“Kapag nagbara yun, mamamatay ang bahagi ng heart, so hindi na siya magko-contract. Ang tendency, makukulangan na ng supply ng oxygen.
“Makikita mo sa video, iba na yung aura niya. Talagang may hagok siya,” the doctor added.
