25-year old Maria Martin had a choice – to allow amputation of her lower limbs and live or die an agonizing death as she was pinned by a concrete slab. She had chosen to have her lower limbs amputated.
Martin was pinned down by a slab when the Chuzon Supermarket in Porac town collapsed during the 6.1 magnitude earthquake that struck the Central Luzon heartland on Monday afternoon.
Martin was trapped inside the collapsed building for nearly three hours. She is selling cellphones for the past two years.
Martin was not able to leave the building immediately during the tremor. Marrtin contemplated of cutting her lower limbs just to survive in the absence of rescue efforts.
Rescuers found Martin at the ground floor and doctors immediately treated her for her wound in the head. Martin agreed to the amputation of her lower limbs. “Pumayag naman po ako para sa buhay ko din, para sa pamilya ko din,” said Martin.
“We need to extricate,” according to Dr. Monserrat Chichioco, of the Jose B. Lingad Memorial Hospital saying there was a need to amputate the legs to save her life.