Humanitarian dimension of karate

BENCHWARMER
Ramon Dacawi

At the end of each seminar traditional karate teacher Julian Chees conducts in Germany where he is based, the former world champion makes a pitch for patients back home here in the Cordillera.

“It’s more effective directly telling the trainees they may want to help a patient back here than just installing a donation box they just see yet may not understand what it’s for,” Chees, the only non-German by birth to be drafted to the national German karate team, said.

His effort to reach out to indigent medical cases here, especially children, goes back several years, when his students saw television footages of devastation wreaked by a typhoon that hit Northern Philippines at Christmastime. He came home and handed P70,000 to two families who lost their common house and two kids in a landslide in Banaue, Ifugao.

Since then, he has been coming home year as messenger for Shoshin Kinderhilfe, a foundation he and his students established, mainly to support indigent patients, especially children. Last December, he came with a box of anti-biotics for the Baguio General Hospital and cash support for patients here and in Maligcong, Bontoc, Mt. Province where he grew up in.

“Like any other effort, ours is obviously limited to the givens, with children as the main target beneficiaries on a first-come, first-served basis,” he noted. “Yet we can’t limit it to kids, especially in emergency situations.”

Like any other support group, Shoshin Kinderhilfe tries to understand when some of those it couldn’t help can’t understand its fund limitations. And to accept the “win-some, lose-some” scenario on humanitarian work.

Chees, a fifth dan with Germany ’s Japan Karate Association, never met Angelix Maria Lumbao, a three-and-a-half-year old girl who succumbed to hydrocephaly last Jan. 8. her. Shoshin advised that the remaining support fund of P3,000 for her help pay for the funeral expenses. It was on top of P6, 934.14 used for last-ditch efforts to save her.

Yet Shoshin (which means “beginner’s mind”), looks forward to seeing 53-year told Cristina Lagasca become a grandmother this week, with the birth of her grandson. Lagasca, a mother of three who just lost her husband, Danny, is into her second year treatment for breast cancer. Danny took the senior’s title in the annual caddies golf tournament at the Baguio Country Club last Dec. 22, a day after his wife finished her 12th round of chemotherapy.

Evening of Christmas Day, Danny had a stroke and passed on the following day. He had asked his son, Danny Jr., who served as his caddy in the tournament, to name his grandson Danny III. Shoshin, together with others, supported Cristina’s battle against the big C. With her family drained by her treatment and Danny’s death, the foundation shouldered her post-treatment check-up.

From last June to last week, Shoshin had propped over 20 patients and their families, including Julian Madrinan, a bank employee who needed P15,000 to clear his hospital bills and be able to go back to work.

Madrinan’s mother assured whatever medical fund support from her son’s employer bank shall be remitted to Shoshin, to enable the foundation to channel the same to other patients.

Among the regular beneficiaries is a 39-year old mother of three who has to sustain her medications for bipolar disorder. The support includes milk substitute supply for her baby, whom she could not breast-feed due to her own maintenance. “I know how difficult it is for these patients and their families, as I also grew up with hardly anything for my schooling,.” Chees said. “To discipline myself against want, I took up karate, which has become my life since.”

Chees, gold medalist in kata in the 1993 World Shotokan (knife-hand) championships and holder of various European international titles, studied under Edgar Kapawen Sr., and took his blackbelt from Kunio Sasaki, the permanent representative of the JKA in the Philippines.

Drafted as a civilian worker in a U.S. Army camp in Germany , he eventually began making waves in tournaments until the national team noticed and drafted him. “My students understand when I make my pitch for support to patients back home after each training,” he said. “After all, true karate ne sente nashi (karate has no offense).”