Donors prop up kidney patients

Ramon Dacawi

Reading this portion of the weekly papers has been quite costly for some readers. 

Among them is Leonard Licanio, an engineer who recently rang the cellphone numbers of several seriously ill patients, asking to meet them so he could hand them fund support for their twice-a-week hemodialysis treatment sessions for kidney failure.

The latest beneficiary of Engr. Licanio’s kindness is Marilou Matias, a 25-year old mother of a five-year old girl from Villasis, Pangasinan who goes for dialysis sessions every Monday and Thursday  at the Baguio General Hospital and medical Center.

“As he did for others, Engr. Licanio gave P1,200 for my wife’s treatment,” said Simplicio Pescador, Marilou’s common-law husband .

Some of Marilou’s other benefactors were also repeat donors, among them an anonymous soul who contributed P5,000 and the owner of a restaurant along Session Road who contributed P1,500. A certain Moises Ursais handed P2,000 while Shoshin, a small foundation based in southern Germany, bankrolled two treatment sessions worth P4,400.

“Please allot also two dialysis sessions for Dinton Basta,” advised Shoshin founder Julian Chees, a former world champion in shotokan karate who earned the distinction of being the only non-German by birth to have been drafted into the German national karate team.

Basta, a 25-year old former carrot washer at the La Trinidad Trading Post in Benguet, also earlier received P1,200 from Engr. Lecanio, P1,000 from Rogel Atiwag and P5,000 from the same anonymous donor who supported Matias.

Shoshin likewise provided two dialysis sessions for 27-year Sharon Valdez Dalida, whose parents now spend their waking hours knocking on doors to sustain her blood-cleansing treatment on the Monday-Wednesday-Saturday schedule at the Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center.

The foundation last Tuesday handed P2,000 to 45-year old widow Wilma Tomas who is suffering from heart ailment, goiter and complications of diabetes.  Unlike previous amounts given her, the sum was not for her medications.

“I badly need so I can reach San Juan Hospital (in Metro-Manila) where my daughter  Suzanne is confined,” Wilma said.

Suzanne, a “tiangge”  store helper in San Juan  receiving P150 a day had a bad fall early in the week and had to be hospitalized, Wilma was told.

As this was being written, Gloria Tiyad, sister of dialysis patient  John m ark Tiyad, texted that a certain Edna met her at the SM Baguio with a P3,000 support to her ailing brother.

Likewise, Mary Adian, a farmer-housewife originally from Nueva Vizcaya, texted that an anonymous donor met her last Monday infront of the Red Cross building along Harrison Road, Baguio and gave her P6,000.

The amount was for her  husband Sabino, a diabetic who was blinded by the disease and is also undergoing twice-a-week dialysis treatment at the BGHMC.

Another donor who declined to be identified also offered P2,000 last Oct. 10 at the La Trinidad Trading Post.

Other Samaritans may want to reach out to Adon is Togana, a 45-year old former public school teacher who is into his fourth year fighting skin and tissue cancer.

“It’s a difficult and protracted battle but it’s more difficult to give up,” he said upon his return to Baguio recently from flap surgery, radiotherapy and skin grafting sessions in various hospitals in Metro-Manila.

Adonis lost his wife, a fellow teacher, and their baby,  during  in 2005, leaving him to raise their two other kids, Trojan and Jezrelle.

Samaritans may ring him up at cellphone number 09291577446. – Ramon Dacawi.