Good and bad

BENCHWARMER
Ramon S. Dacawi

BAGUIO CITY -- Twelve-year old cancer victim Mark Anthony Viray, a Baguio boy who dreams of one day becoming a pilot, is left with no funds to restart his chemotherapy against Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

Ernesto, his 50-year old dad who drives a cab, last week had to use P13,000 for the treatment to pay the cost of two CT scans –on the chest and abdomen . Together with a previous test on the neck - where a lump reappeared late January - the scans were needed to determine whether cancer cells had not spread from his lymph nodes to other parts of the body.

The good news is that the mutant cells remained contained. “Normal ang finding,” Ernesto said in a text after conferring with the lab technicians. The result will guide the boy’s doctors, who offered their services pro bono, in preparing his second, six-round chemotherapy treatment, which must begin as soon as possible to improve his chances for recovery.

The bad news is that the fund, the latest sent by Shoshin Kinderhilfe, a small humanitarian foundation in Germany , had been used up. Shoshin (which means Beginner’s Mind), had been at the boy’s corner since he began his bout against the big C two years ago.

Former world traditional karate champion Julian Chees, a native of Maligcong, Mt. Province who founded Shoshin with his students in southern Germany, wondered if other Samaritans can also come to the boy’s rescue.

“We hope there will be takers soon, to keep alive this boy’s dream of growing up and one day flying a plane,” Chees said. “We hope his courage and determination to win his fight will inspire us all to reach out to him.”

The boy’s medical journey began in May the other year, when a lump on his neck led to a biopsy that confirmed the disease. Ironically, lymphatic cells serve as the soldiers of the body’s immune system against disease and infection. In this case, they turned abnormal and just kept on dividing.

Mark Anthony began his chemotherapy in August, 2008, completing six cycles that his father, a widower who was then unemployed, could hardly shoulder. Shoshin bankrolled the initial treatments, with support from kids of Brent School , Baguio expatriate Freddie de Guzman in Canada , the DPS barangay council and Paul and Jenelyn Balanza in Michigan . A group of young businessmen responded to Baguio boy Carlos Anton’s call and matched what the kids of Brent raised.

After completing six sessions, the boy looked on the way to licking the disease. He returned to school and is now in the fifth grade at the Quezon Elementary School . Last January, the lump on the neck reappeared, prompting the three scans and his return to another six rounds of chemo.

Donors may ring up Ernesto;s cell phone number 0916 8560455 or course their support to DPS punong barangay Narcisa Laguitan or kagawad Boying de Guzman. Three more patients, this time kidney failure victims, also pleaded for help to maintain their twice-a-week hemodialysis sessions which will be for lifetime.

Twenty nine-year old Marco Bumacas, single and unemployed, of 151 Purok 4, Lower Quirino Hill, has been in dialysis since the other year at the Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center. He may be contacted at cell phone number 09183566410.

Tommy Dannang, an employee at the Regional Trial Court here, has drained all his savings and still has to take care of two kids. Donors may ring up lawyer Cris Dona-al at 09396417682.

Benita Dalapos, 49, and a farmer’s wife from the remote town of San Emilio , Ilocos Sur, has been on dialysis since last month in San Fernando , La Union. Her sister, Ruth Umangil, recently came up to Baguio looking for help, which they got from Shoshin, Other donors can call Ruth at 09064314743. Shoshin last week also paid for one dialysis session each for Bumacas and Dannang,at the BGHMC.

“Shoshin can only do so much and we hope others will sponsor one session for any of these patients,” Chees said.