By CONG B. CORRALES
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY— As a young dentist who just passed the board exams in 1983, Enrique “Ike” Ampo lived life in the fast lane.
He had a booming dental practice in Makati City, was a fabulous, chic yuppie like his clients, and was headed for the top of his field. Until it all came crashing down, literally.
The crash happened one fateful Saturday—Feb. 18, 1984—in Baguio City. Ampo, the passenger, survived the accident but his dentist-friend who was driving died instantly.
“Nag-wish kong unta patay pud ko (I wished, I too, died in that crash),” said Ampo who, after the crash, barely left the house and thought that going out four times in a year was “already too much.”
“Murag end na ang tanan (I really felt it was the end for me),” he said, sulking at the thought that he would “never ever need shoes.”
