BENCHWARMER

Ramon S. Dacawi
Two expats support indigent patients

BAGUIO CITY -- Several patients here, including two men trying to save their kidneys, have found support from half-way round the globe, thanks to two expatriates from Baguio.

One of the Samaritans, former world traditional karate champion Julian Chees, continues to reach out to the needy here through Shoshin Kinderhelfe, a foundation he and his karate students in southern Germany established years back

Over in Canada, Freddie de Guzman couldn’t slow down on his personal humanitarian advocacy even after he lost his job last year. He got the support of his wife and three daughters. Recently, a friend who got wind of Freddie’s quiet outreach handed him $500 Canadian twice for the purpose.

The latest remittance, converted to P20,007 by the courier firm, enabled television provincial correspondent Manny Fortuny to purchase maintenance medicines worth P3,770. It allowed ethnic dance troupe coordinator Manny Gayao, who had raised funds for other patients before he himself fell ill, to use P2,894 for his own maintenance dose. The two Mannys are battling kidney ailment.

Three other patients whom Freddie supported for two to three years now, availed of the fund to keep up with their treatment schedules.. Cancer survivor Rosa Ann Cordova received P3,000 for her post-chemotherapy check-up. Kidney patient Filbert Almoza got P3,.000 for a round of hemodialysis for kidney failure. Eight-year old leukemia patient John Brix de Guzman had P2,000 for his daily oral medication.

Freddie advised that P5,000 be for a retired an ailing teacher confined for weeks at the Baguio General Hospital. Shoshin had used up P21,485.20 for several other patients, including P3,500 for John Brix’s chemotherapy last week. Earlier disbursements were P6,000 for the funeral of elementary school pupil Jessica Tampol, P500 for the elementary graduation fee of a son of garbage picker Rhoda Boquiren, and P800 for the anti-rabies vaccines of eight-year5 old Joshua Acosta.

In a vain effort to save toddler Kelisha Mayorga, P3,659 was used for two vials of medicines a few days before the girl died. “Please extend our gratitude to whoever he is who helped us try to save Kelisha,” Ernie Caccam, the girl’s uncle, texted during the wake.

Shoshin teamed up with Freddie in helping sustain the medical and family needs of Nora (not her real name), a young mother and farmer’s wife coping with affective bipolar disorder. Nora, who was advised by doctors not to breast-feed her baby because of her mind-pacifying maintenance medications, used P2,369.75 for infant formula, food and other needs of her family.

Recently, kids of Brent School handed to Nora’s family P10,000 support, half of which they raised, while the counterpart came from businessmen friends of international car racing champion Carlos Anton.