Young kidney patient’s ordeal over / Blood for leukemia victim

BENCHWARMER
Ramon Dacawi

The medical ordeal of Ashley Dyrine Sabling is over. The girl, until recently the youngest kidney patient undergoing hemodialysis treatment here, died last Sunday afternoon.

The 14-year old was buried last Thursday morning in Kayan, Tadian, Mt. Province where her remains arrived early Monday morning, brought home by her mother Judilyn.

For months, mother and child had been staying with relatives in Baguio, for her twice-a-week (Monday and Thursday) blood-cleansing sessions at the Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center.

Last Sunday afternoon, she suddenly had difficulty breathing and was rushed to the hospital here Her blood pressure had shot up, her mother said in a text message after their arrival in Kayan.

“Extend our heartfelt thanks to Westmont,” Judilyn asked, referring to the kids of Westmont School Montessori at Camp 7 here who recently raised P13,000 to cover five dialysis sessions for Ashley.

School principal Carina Bugasto-Navarro felt devastated when she heard the news. “Kaasi met dyay ubing. Lalo pay ni mama na met. I feel so sad, ” she texted.

Navarro and school president Margarita Martires-Lijauco met Ashley for the second time last Wednesday morning. to hand over the amount realized from the food booth sales of the kids in observance of United Nations Month.

They explained the kids were still on holiday and would have wanted to meet Ashley. As they did early last September, when they handed her P8,000 from their “Linggo ng Wika” program. Ashley had clipped her published photo with some of her young benefactors the first time she visited Westmont, the girl’s mother said.

“We are grateful to Ashley for being an example of courage and patience, and for teaching all of us to be more grateful in life and see the blessings in everything,” Navarro said,

Ashley was the youngest of five children of Judilyn, a 51-year old housewife, and her husband Peterson, a laborer from Masla, Tadian.

Last February, the kid was diagnosed for end-stage renal failure, forcing her to transfer to Baguio to be near the dialysis machines. She was enrolled under a special program of the Baguio City National High School.

At P2,600 per dialysis session, the family soon found itself unable to sustain her treatment, prompting her mother to issue a public appeal for help.

Among those who responded was former world karate champion Julian Chees who sent P26,908.14 that covered five dialysis sessions each for Ashley and for fellow kidney patient Genevieve Gano of La Trinidad, Benguet.

The pupils and high school students of Westmont took the cue with their “Linggo ng Wika” fund-raiser last August. Two years back, the Westmont kids produced and sold kimchi, netting P10,000 which they used in reaching out to other patients.
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While almost 40 percent of the population has type 0+ blood, it’s not readily available during emergencies. This recurrent reality stared 44-year old farmer Dennis Borgonia in the eye the other week. That’s when even the local Red Cross ran out of stock needed by Faith, his seven-year old daughter confined for leukemia at the Baguio General and Medical Center.

Radio announcements and Facebook uploads on the girl’s need for type O+ platelet concentrate failed to yield walk-in donors. Dennis, from Lagangilang, Abra, hardly knows anybody here who could bleed for his ailing fifth of six children.

Perhaps that’s the reason why two sister broadcast media outfits – Bombo Radyo Philippines and Star FM – make it a point to have its stations all over the country sponsor annual blood-letting drives.

For Baguio and Benguet, Bombo Radyo DZWX under station manager Edong Carta had the blood-letting last November 6 at the Malcolm Square under tbe banner “A little pain, a life to gain”. It was three days after Dennis aired his appeal.

Of 318 people who appeared, wanting to donate, Red Cross volunteers led by Baguio chapter administrator Annie Tamayo found 261 fit and were bled. Type O donors topped the list at 114, followed by type B(75), A (57) and AB (15), as per the report of blood bank physician, Dr. Jennifer Joyce Reyes.

Two of the type O donors stood out in the report: 43-year old Judith Ap-apid and 50-year old Placido Basister. Their blood units were processed for the platelet concentrate needed by Faith, who donned a protective mask while in bed at the pediatric ward of the BGHMC.

“The (two) blood donors were heroes to this young recipient,” noted Dr. Reyes. The first platelet transfusion was done Sunday, followed by another last Tuesday.

Shoshin Foundation, a small humanitarian outreach established by former world karate champion Julian Chees in southern Germany, shouldered the two platelet processing fees totaling P2,800 and shelled P4,500 more for Faith’s anti-cancer injection vial.

Dennis was overly thankful for the sudden blood donation and fund support that would enable his daughter to move on to the next procedure under a protracted treatment protocol of three to five years.

“She’s now more than one year under treatment,” Dennis said, fully aware his family is still far from midway into the long haul of trying to lick a foe that doesn’t choose victims its size. Last Friday morning, Dennis was again out there, seeking Samaritans with several doctor’s prescriptions in his hand.

People who can help may visit Faith at the BGHMC’s pediatrics ward or call up her brother’s cell phone number: 09303156729.