Rest in Peace, Mario
March 8, 2008
I'm sitting here in Tagaytay with Noel Morales, and we're both completely stunned to hear that Mario Sison has passed away. Mario was in great physical shape. He was probably the best biker in our group, and to hear that he succumbed to a heart attack (after a bike ride around the La Mesa Reservoir with Angel Gomez and some other friends - I'm guessing Miguel and Oye were there a well) is just unbelievable. Hell, if he can die, then I can probably go any minute too. Angel (who is a doctor) says they had just completed their ride today and it was at this time that Mario started to complain about chest pains. They asked him to lie down on the ground, and raised his legs. But pretty soon he was convulsing uncontrollably, and no amount of CPR would resuscitate him.
On Dec 23, 2007 we (Mario, Angel Gomez, Miguel, Isaias, and Alex) completed an epic ride, starting at the Sierra Madre hotel (in Tanay), going all the way down to Pillila, then barreled our way up to Bugarin, then down again to Siniloan/Famy. We had a great lunch at Siniloan (by which time I was surprised to hear that Mario was suffering from cramps and would be unable to continue). We then started a slow and tortuous climb across the Sierra Madre range. Mario follwed in our support vehicle. I think we must have climbed up to 3000 feet before descending again, this time into Real. When we finally glimpsed the Pacific Ocean, we were ecstatic (as none of us had scouted the toue before, and we had no idea how much longer the trip would last). We started at around 9 am and hit the ocean at approximately 430 pm. We then found a nice resort near Infanta where we were able to swim, have a few beers and eat a great dinner.
It was fun riding with you, Mario. We'll be thinking of you on our next ride.
Previous Comments
Great insights Joel. We were back at Moritz’s wake last night with Bong Luna (came from Lipa) and he also noticed the mortician’s (lack of?) make-up skills.
It still is shocking to see a friend in a casket and although I do agree to a cremation, for me it would be after my usable organs are donated. Recycle, recycle, recycle.
Heard they will have a slideshow tonight after the mass, maybe good to send your pix to Gemma or Angel so they could be included.
RIP, Moritz! We will miss you.
Posted by Noel at March 11, 2008, 9:46 amThis is a shocking news.
Condolence to friends and relatives.
Maybe guys like me should not exert to much effort in outdoor sports like triathlon and surfing. Moderation must the name to make one fit as I am not competitive athlete.
Posted by dumboqtpie at March 24, 2008, 8:34 pmwhy good people die first? josee still alive! so unfair!
Posted by rico at May 18, 2010, 5:06 pm
I went to the wake last night, and got more details from Angel G and Miguel, who were both biking with Mario at La Mesa Dam before he passed away that day. Oye was not with them - he is currently with Boy Siojo in Palawan. If not for the heart attack, it would have been a great day. The La Mesa track is amazing. Angel was raving about the single track trails, which seemed to require some technical skills (that were clearly beyond my ability). Something along the lines of “we gotta do it, dude”. Mario was very strong that day, and beat them all up the hills and would be waiting for them to catch up. They didn’t over-exert themselves, and took the time to rest, chat, and enjoy the pleasant view.
There was no autopsy done on the body, but Angel’s theory is that, despite the fact that Mario led a very active lifestyle, his main areries were getting clogged. Because he was fit, the secondary arteries were able to provide sufficient blood (and oxygen) to his organs, so he never really felt the normal pains associated with heart disease that a less-fit individual would. This is why when his main artery got clogged, it came so suddenly.
It seems that a good number of the middle aged Ateneans were as freaked out as I was, and a good number of us showed up today at Synergy Inc for their Digitial Wave Analysis of our heart functions. (This was a test that Mario was scheduled to take on Saturday - which unfortunately passed on because of this excellent La Mesa Dam trail ride).
It was a bit jarring for me to see Mario in his casket. He’d always been very healthy, and I guess I’d only seen him in bike gear - his face pink w/ exertion. The mortician’s makeup and lipstick just seemed completely competely out of character. It seemed like such an indignity to a person who led such an active lifestyle. I’m sure he would not want to be remembered that way. Right then and there, I made up my mind that when I die, I don’t want to have my body in make up. You’ll have to burn me, guys.
Posted by jed at March 10, 2008, 7:58 pm