Kids raise P8,000 for ailing child

By Ramon Dacawi

BAGUIO CITY -- Thirteen-year old Ashley Sabling, until recently the youngest local kidney patient undergoing twice-a-week dialysis, last week got an P8,000 cash support raised by kids of Westmont School Montesssori (formerly Monticello) at Camp 7 here.

Ashley, accompanied by her mother Judilyn, visited the school Tuesday morning, a day after her blood-cleansing session, and was met by some of the donors, high school boys and girls her age.

School principal Maria Carina Navarro explained the amount came from sales of the booths the students set up in observance of “Linggo ng Wika” last month.

The other year, Korean students and pupils taught their school mates at the then Monticello International School how to process “kimchi”, which they sold to parents and visitors. From the sales, they realized 10,000 which they used in supporting indigent patients.

Last Tuesday, Navarro called up, saying the kids again raised P8,000 and were looking for a kid they could help. Ashley was that kid.

“Ashley is no longer the youngest dialysis patient,” Judilyn said of her youngest of five children. “The youngest patient now is a nine-year old.”

Mother and daughter were originally from Kayan East, Tadian, Mt. Province but had to transfer to Baguio after last summer, when Ashley was diagnosed for end-stage renal failure.

She has to stay in Baguio, to be near those hemodialysis machines.

The girl has been accepted on a home-study module with the Baguio City National High School and stays with relatives at Pinsao here.

To sustain her treatment costing P2,600 per session, folksingers mounted a concert the other week, raising P22,000 which will be good for about eight sessions.

The amount raised by the Westmont School kids will shoulder three sessions. From the school, Ashley and her mother proceeded to the dialysis room of the Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center and deposited the fund support.

Others who would like to sustain her twice-a-week treatment may ring her up at cell phone number 09086874933.

Two other dialysis patients have also aired their appeal for sponsorship of one or two of their own cleansing sessions. Twenty-year old Genevieve Gano of Betag, La Trinidad can be reached at cell phone number 09618249057.

Thirty-year old Aelfric Paquitol of Bakakeng can be contacted at 09166594256.