Orlando M. Basbas

Orlando "Orly" Milan Basbas was born in Santo Tomas, La Union, Philippines on July 16, 1953. He was the 4th child of Felipe Rivera Basbas Sr. and Victoria Milan Basbas and was also the beloved brother of Lilian, Ben, Felipe Jr., Romeo and Ernesto. Growing up in the Philippines, Orly spent more of his time in Baguio City with his grandmother after his father passed away when he was only 4 years old. Orly attended Namboongan Elementary School and South Provincial High School in Agoo, La Union. He, then advanced his education at Saint Louis University in Baguio City, where he studied Commerce before joining the United States Navy in 1974.

Orlando trained at the Naval Training Center in San Diego, CA and was then stationed in Norfolk, VA in 1977. While spending time with his shipmate, Dominador Rondero, he was introduced to a lovely lady by the name of Maria "Shirley" Aurora Ecdao. They met & courted each other while residing in Chesapeake, VA. On December 28, 1978, Orly & Shirley exchanged vows and the two had became one. Not long after their marriage, Orly received orders to be stationed in Orlando, FL. There, they had become proud parents to their first child, Orly’s only son, Ronald Ecdao on Sept. 27, 1979. In 1981, Orlando was stationed to the west coast and his new family moved to sunny San Diego, CA. On April 6, 1983, Orlando and Maria welcomed to the world their 1st of 2 daughters, Rose Marie. Two years later, on October 26, 1985, they were blessed with their 3rd child together, Nadine Mae. While serving in the US Navy, Orlando also attended National University and graduated Cum Laude with a degree in Business Marketing in 1987. After 21 years of dedicated service, Orlando honorably retired from the United States Navy.

Now retired, Orly decided to spend more time with his children. To make up for the years he was away from them, each morning he would prepare the kids’ meals, drop & pick up them up from school and attend their school activities. In addition to those years, he worked part-time for 2 years operating his own janitorial business and also worked as a distributor for Fruitful ice cream bars, delivering to local businesses. As a way to bond with his family, Orly brought Shirley and the children along with him to his jobs, not only spend quality time, but to teach Ronald, Rose & Nadine hard work & responsibility.

When Ronald graduated high school & left for college, Orly decided to go back to work full-time. For a brief amount of time, he was offered a position at Camp Pendleton, which was a 1-hour commute away from home. Orly sacrificed time to make the drive to work during odd hours of the night just to ensure that ends were met. After a year, Orly landed a job back home in San Diego working for DeCA as a Quality Assurance Inspector at the 32nd Street Naval Station Commissary. Often sleep deprived from working the night shift, Orly persevered with his 10-year career working for DeCA.

In October of 2004, Orly became a proud grandfather to his first grandchild, Arilyn Marie. He was extremely happy and enjoyed every moment being a grandpa. As the years passed, not only did he take great care of his wife and children, but Orly also extended his unselfishness to his nieces & nephews in the Philippines. He supported them financially so that they were able to advance in their college education. Furthermore, being the selfless man that he was, Orly’s passion to prepare, cook and share food with people was always recognized. He was a wonderful cook and was greatly known for his mashed potatoes, fresh salsa and goat & beef kilawin. More over, Orly’s close friends had a dear place in his heart. They were a strong support system for him & his Friday nights playing card games allowed him to feel a sense of peace & ease.

After arriving home from work on Christmas Eve of 2009, Orly complained of chest pain and was taken to Paradise Valley Hospital. During his hospital stay, a large tumor was discovered on his liver. After undergoing a biopsy a few days later, on New Years Eve 2009, the family was heartbroken by the news that Orly was diagnosed with Cholangiocarcinoma (cancer of the bile duct). Unfortunately, the size of the tumor was inoperable, so he sought care under his oncologist, Dr. Fanta at the Moore's Cancer Center at University of California San Diego Medical Center in La Jolla, CA.

Orlando endured many extensive treatments, procedures, and therapies to fight his cancer. For 2 ½ years, he underwent chemotherapy and 2 rounds of radiation to destroy the cancer cells. However, the chemo & radiation therapies were not successful. Not only did Orly experience the effects of cancer, he also encountered complications associated with other medical conditions. After a visit to the ER where he underwent a lumbar puncture, this procedure resulted in an emergency lumbar laminectomy (surgery to remove his lower vertebrae and a blood clot from his spinal column). Being told that he may possibly not be able to walk again due to nerve loss in his left leg, Orly persevered through numerous months of physical therapy. With his strong mind & determination, he managed to fully recover from this unexpected event.

Although the chemo & radiation treatments were unsuccessful, Orly still maintained a strong drive to continue battling his health condition. He kept a positive mind & attitude and lived a health conscious life with diet and exercise; his morning walks at Tooma Park kept him busy and healthy. In March of 2012, Orly was blessed with another granddaughter, Imani Rae. Again, he was overjoyed and knew that having another grandbaby would keep him on his toes. In spite of his condition, Orly managed to keep himself productive by maintaining the home & cars, taking care of his 2 granddaughters and providing his family with the utmost love and care.

In October 2012, Orly’s condition began to decline. His liver was no longer functioning normally and he had developed ascities (abnormal accumulation of fluid in the abdomen). To treat this development, each week Orly had to undergo a procedure known as paracentisis (draining of the abdominal fluid). Although he had been aware that his condition had progressed, Orly continued with his & Shirley’s plans to visit the Philippines in December 2012. He was very ecstatic to see all of his family, which included his sister & brothers, nieces and nephews, and 2 stepsons and extended relatives. While in the PI, due to his weakened immune system, Orly had a developed bronchitis and was hospitalized for 3 days in Baguio, Philippines. Even though he knew he was not in the greatest health to travel, he knew in his heart that he had to go home and be with his family; he took into special consideration that it might have been the last time he would see them again. Orly recovered from his hospitalization and got to spend quality time with his family during the remainder of their trip. His family was overjoyed with his presence and cherished every moment they had spent with him.

After his return back from the Philippines, Orly’s condition continued to decline. In January 2013, Dr. Fanta expressed to Orly & Shirley that his cancer had advanced to Stage 4. With doctor’s visits every 2 weeks and weekly intravenous radiology fluid drains, Orly kept fighting on. Although their weeks seemed busy with appointments, Orly and Shirley continued to grow ever so close together as she remained by his side through everything; they were without a doubt, best friends forever.

Throughout the 3 ½ years of his battle with cancer, Orly only had 1 hospitalization. It was only up until the last few weeks of his life that he had experienced being hospitalized for an extended period of time. Due to a loss of consciousness, two 911 calls, made on different occasions, 1.5 wks apart, were made to have emergency staff respond to his medical state. On both hospitalizations, Orly managed to gain full-consciousness, recover and be discharged home. Yet again, through times of despair, his strong sense of determination & willpower allowed him to return to his peaceful abode.

Father’s Day fast approached and Orly’s children were very privileged to be able to spend this special occasion with him. Orly was extremely happy to make it far into the year and although he was feeling weak after the recent discharge, every warm moment & bittersweet emotion shared that day filled both him & his children’s hearts. Orly’s smile & laughter on Father’s Day will be forever embedded in the eyes, minds & hearts of Ron, Rose & Nadine.

Upon waking on Friday, June 21, Orly had expressed a feeling of strength & pleasure to his wife. He had stated, “The Lord God is not ready for me yet, that is why I am still here.” As the day progressed, a drastic change to his medical state had Orly feeling unwell and uncomfortable. In the late afternoon, one of his few final smiles given was when he oldest granddaughter performed a song, “Part of your World,” for him before her recital that evening.

On the morning on Saturday, June 22, Orly and Shirley shared a very intimate moment with each other. Noticing that he had shallow breathing and restlessness, his final request was for Shirley to massage his back and neck. Soon after, they both prayed together and Shirley expressed his love for him by saying “I Love You, Dad.” At 7:10am, the deepest love & warmest touch between Orly and his family were exchanged. God was now ready for him and welcomed Orly into His Kingdom… Amen.