Friday, January 29, 2021

A mother’s gift

BEHIND THE SCENES
Alfred P. Dizon

(Alpine L. Killa information of the Bontoc municipal government writes this week’s piece)

BONTOC Mountain Province -- Nineteen-year-old Antonette Cabrad Lomong-oy, a 2nd-year nursing student of Mountain Province State Polytechnic College (MPSPC)-Bontoc Campus here was scheduled for a kidney transplant last Dec. 13, 2020, at the Cordillera Hospital of the Divine Grace in La Trinidad, Benguet.
    Alfa, Antonette's mom Alfa, was supposed to be the donor but due to unforeseen circumstances and financial constraints, the operation was rescheduled after the Christmas and New Year holidays.
    Antonette has been undergoing hemodialysis for almost three months, and it has not been easy.
    Per phone conversation with Antonette's mom, they were admitted to the hospital on Jan. 11.
    The kidney transplant procedure which costs P1.5 million was scheduled Jan. 17 but did not materialize because of financial constraints. 
    Antonette’s family was in dire need of P600, 000 for the kidney transplant procedure to push through.
    They knocked on kind hearts for donations. Antonette just celebrated her 19th birthday last Dec. 21.
    Those who wish to donate any amount to share as a gift to this young lady may deposit to Land Bank Savings Account, Antonette Lomong-oy, 1046245683.
    Also, you may hand over your donations to Jodesca Lumiwes Masilian. You may contact her at cell phone number 0926-907-2026 and Facebook account Jodesca Lumiwes Masilian.
    You may also send your donations to GCash account Jodesca Masilian 09269072026.
    For transparency, all donations will be posted on the Facebook account of Jodesca Lumiwes Masilian. The money to be collected will be turned over to Antonette's family before they will be discharged from the hospital.
Antoinette’s story
Antonette who traces her roots in the small village of Caneo, Bontoc is the firstborn of James Lomong-oy and Alfa Cabrad Lomong-oy. Both her parents are laborers who work hard for their family’s daily needs.
    Her parents, despite the hardship in life, are thankful to the Almighty for being blessed with healthy children.
    However, in 2019, Antonette experienced dizziness and hypertension. She was 18 years old, a jovial Senior High School student at Saint Vincent’s High School.
    At a young age, she had no choice but to take maintenance medicines for hypertension.
    The difficulty of life in the village and her dream of uplifting her family from poverty has been the driving force for the young Antonette to pursue her studies.
    The young Antonette dreams of becoming a nurse. This is the reason  she decided to enroll Bachelor of Science in Nursing at MPSPC - Bontoc Campus.
    For those who have known Antonette, her choice of profession best fits her because of her jovial personality. She has a soft voice and her smile is infectious to everyone she meets.
    She possesses the “tender loving care” (TLC) personality people look for in every health worker.
    In her first year in college, her dizziness and hypertension became frequent prompting her family to seek medical attention at Luis Hora Memorial Regional Hospital in Bauko town.
    Antonette was diagnosed with end-stage renal disease secondary to chronic glomerulonephritis and hypertension.
    As per doctor’s advice, a kidney transplant was the best option while the patient (Antonette) is young, and this would give her better quality of life and better chances of survival.
    Despite financial constraints the family is facing, they decided to follow the doctor’s advice.
    The plan included initiation of hemodialysis, kidney transplant workup for the patient and the donor, and finally, a kidney transplant.
    The kidney transplant procedure costs P1.5 million. The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation shall shoulder P600, 000 under its Z Package.
    Even with the Z Package from Phil Health, Antonette’s Family still needed to prepare P900, 000 for the kidney transplant procedure.
    Some kind-hearted individuals and groups gave financial donations and organized fund-raising activities and events for Antonette.
    People coming from all walks of life gave cash and support to fund-raising activities and events.
    Her mother Alfa had been counting days and weeks until she can donate one of her kidneys and help her daughter.
    To Alfa, it was her Christmas and birthday gift to her daughter. It came without hesitation. It did not come wrapped in a box.     Rather, it was surrounded by love of a selfless mother.
    The Cordillera Hospital of the Divine Grace in La Trinidad, Benguet performed a successful kidney transplant from donor-mother Alfa to Antonette on Jan. 17.

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