A Little Hearts One Year Post-Surgery Site Visit

You all know the story of the first Little Heart patient, Joneil, whom I brought to our club a little more than a year ago to celebrate his surgery in India, and challenge our members to help support more patients to save their lives. Joneil has nearly doubled his body weight in these fifteen months and is doing extremely well physically and in school: he is first in his class! Last August, we sent two more patients and some of you met them when Dir Bobby Joseph hosted a little dinner for them at the Wine Museum before their travel. I reported on them in a previous article.

We were all frustrated that we had a very, very difficult time talking any more families into going to India, coupled with the fact that Dr. Moopen’s foundation people wanted the surgical candidates to be not only certified indigent, but truly among the poorest of the poor. That meant that only about one in a hundred thousand babies would qualify. We had twenty-five on our list, but none of them was poor enough, so we began a long search for alternatives. We counseled several families in to qualifying for the PhilHealth Zero-balance Billing program. We referred one to a Rotary Club in Texas who helped them, and another by our daughter club, RC Cebu, through their “Save-a-Life” program.

The local Aster Country Manager negotiated a new Memorandum of Agreement with the new Medical Director at Philippine Heart Center, and I agreed that instead of paying for transportation to India, we could split the expected contribution with Aster’s Philippine Charity. They would fund the cash required and we would pay for equipment or supplies not covered by PhilHealth, such as catheters. PHC was undergoing expansion and renovation, particularly for the catheter lab, and the lead pediatric cardiologist was on a mission and for continuing education, all contributing to considerable delays. Since PHC only accommodates two charity cases a week, based on medical urgency, we had an even longer wait under the new agreement. Finally, we supported the baby needing the very expensive (± 150,000) special Medtronics Contegra valved pulmonary conduit catheter, and I shared that info with you all not long ago.

The good news moving forward is that PHC is expanding its capacity to serve nationwide, with centers in all provinces within the next couple of years. Second, while Dr Moopen’s Foundation is not supporting more surgeries in India, based on our earlier successes, we have a new partner in India that is willing to do one case a month. And, third, I am now starting to put together a consortium of Philippine Rotary Clubs to collaborate in qualifying and supporting congenital heart disease patients of indigent families was very keen to bring the three children from Negros together in a one-year post-surgery “Heart-versary.” I wanted to see them, have them meet each other, and celebrate the new lease on life that we gave them.

I flew to Dumaguete and checked in to my hotel, where I was happy to enjoy great towels labeled “Trendsetter,” obviously purchased from our PAS Muhammad Aslam. I rented a big van and took far more members of Joneil’s extended family than intended on a road trip to Bacolod. There, I met Baby Abigael Vito, her shop clerk mother Johanna and jeep driver dad. Aby is also doing great, sings and dances, runs and plays, all normal. Aby’s uncle made the great Mascara Mask as a gift for me. The family is still “dirt poor,” but rich in love and joy with their delightful daughter.

Aby and her family joined the van for the outing to Silay City to meet baby “Eli” and his family. We enjoyed an outing to at the Guinhalaran Integrated Secondary School, reported on separately here. Unfortunately, Eli’s father was unable to join us, because he is a PNP-2, on duty now in Marawi area. We all crammed in to the 15-passenger van I had rented, and drove back to Bacolod. Here is a picture of Eli enjoying a little car in the mall!

Since the stars of the day were children, instead of a famous seafood house, we settled on family-style feasting at Shakey’s, with four big pizzas, four platters of pasta, twenty-three pieces of chicken plus “Mojo” potatoes, and seven pitchers of assorted beverages. It is not the great food that Bacolod is famous for, but the kids loved it and nobody went away hungry.

What does not show in the pictures were the many tears of joy, every adult expressing their tearful gratitude to the “Good men of Rotary Club of Manila,” for “Saving their babies’ lives.” I wish that I had a better way to share that joyful blessing with you. What I can say is that our lives in “Service Above Self” is what we are about as Rotarians. I thank you for your support of this project and I promise to continue and expand it, with your help.