KCAT CAN: Birthdays and blessings

Birthdays and blessings

That desire never left me. I would often mention it to my friends, my cousins and my mom especially after my 29th birthday. I even daydream about it, visualizing how I wanted it to be. But don’t get me wrong. I’m not really wishing for a grand and luxurious celebration, only a memorable and fun party together with my family and friends.

When I realized that my brother, Maro and I are turning 30 and 13 years old this 2013, I felt more excited and inspired to make this party a reality.

“I told Kcat that we will find a way. For me, I never thought na gastos na naman. All I wanted is to celebrate and to thank God that Kcat has reached 30 despite of the difficulties she has gone through,” my mom said during the party.

We were also happy for Maro because he already has his own circle of friends. He wasn’t used to mingling with people and making friends before. When he was younger, he already knew his responsibilities at home and never failed to care for me and mom.

Even before I could raise enough money for the party, God showed me His greatness once again. It’s true that when God takes something away, it’s because He has a better plan, the best actually. Due to our constant medical expenses, I wasn’t able to save up. Little did I know that my friends and cousins were already planning it all along. My best friend Daisy approached my mom weeks before May and told her about their big surprise.

My cousins and GYA friends coordinated with each other and shared their support, effort and even the expenses. My cousin Marie, the chef and owner of Ulam Mart catering service, prepared the food for the event. My cousins Cathy and Mark of Timmy’s Oven provided not only the cakes but also the photo booth, balloons and decors. My cousin Paula, who has a lot of experience in managing events, took charge of all the details. My cousin Athan and Dave set up a mini cocktail bar and brought a yummy organic lechon. My friends Kathreen and Chrisjohn hosted the event. The rest of the GYA Peeps helped me prepare the materials I needed for the event and acted as the ushers and usherettes for the guests.

Mandaluyong Mayor Benhur Abalos allowed us to use the venue for free including the lights, sounds and electricity. The venue is called The Place which is located across Mandaluyong City Hall. It’s actually a private property, but anyone can have it booked as long as you’re a Mandaleño. It all turned out to be how I really wanted it to be like.

Instead of the usual 18 candles and 18 roses ceremony, I came up with 13 flowers from Maro and 30 words for Kcat. Maro gave each significant woman in his life a flower. My mom was his first dance while I received the last piece of flower. As for me, I asked 30 of my friends to come up with a word to describe me and explain it in three sentences.

Because of this, I have learned that the quote, “A true friend will not need any explanation as he will always understand” is indeed true because upon seeing each word they chose, I automatically knew their reasons for choosing it even before reading the explanation.

In my 30 years of existence, I am so blessed with a lot of friends and family who stayed with me in times of happiness and hardships. These special people in my life are another reason why I wanted this celebration to happen. I know this party isn’t really necessary but I wanted to show my gratitude to them by showing them how much I’ve gotten better – stronger and wiser but still the same. I even made a thank you card for each of them.

I believe that I have lived my life well. I enjoyed my childhood and teenage years so much that I never run out of memories to smile and laugh about. I have fallen in and out of love. I’ve been hurt but stood up again. I cried, I laughed, I learned, and I had so much fun. I made a lot of mistakes, but these mistakes became lessons. I have learned to never regret because everything has a reason. Life will show us the reason.

KCAT CAN: A birthday like no other

A birthday like no other
By Maria Katrina Lopez Yarza
Published: May 27, 2013

"When you enjoy what you have, you get happiness. When you share what you have, you multiply happiness.”

Since 2007, I have been celebrating my birth month by holding “MAY Birthday Project,” a gift-giving affair at the Philippine General Hospital where I share my blessings with people I call friends.

This year though, my mom had a minor accident two weeks before the gift-giving, that lead to a compressed fracture in her spine. It was really hard for her to move around, in fact there was a time that she could not move at all. I worried about how she will undertake the preparations for this event. Fortunately, she recovered faster, thanks to our answered prayers. My friend, Ate Jen, volunteered to prepare the ecobags by having the logo printed on it and delivering it to our house. Sir Deegee, my sister’s high school teacher, offered the help of 2Hour Pickup and Delivery Inc. to get the donations anywhere within Metro Manila at no cost. These two tasks took a lot of my mom’s time and effort in the previous years, so their help really meant a lot to us.

Two months ago, when I started campaigning for MAY Birthday Project 2013, the first to respond despite his busy schedule was Sir Jean Henri, the CEO and president of PJ Lhuillier Inc. Mandaluyong Mayor Benhur Abalos was busy with his campaign but he still offered to assist and support us. My friend Adie of Asia Institute of Computer Studies (AICS) delivered boxes of donations. Goldilocks Bakeshop sent a couple of caramel popcorn and cupcakes that put added excitement on the children’s faces. Universal Robina Corporation was generous enough to give boxes of goodies like Quake bars and Cream-O. Timmy’s Oven and PAVZEL sent their homemade pastries and chocolates for the patients. Mommy Gilda Altez, president of World Letter Insurance Solution Inc. and my Happiest Pinoy co-finalist, prepared a couple of mini bayongs to give out. Greencross not only gave alcohol but also boxes of soaps. Isshin Dream Publishing held a book outreach and handed it during the event. We were able to get support from different companies and individuals who didn’t just respond to our help, but also genuinely expressed their sincerity and willingness to participate in the project. These people indeed are cheerful givers.

A dream came true for me when Fr. Dante Valero, SDB offered to celebrate the Holy Mass during the event. In the previous years, my mom and I would often say, “Sana may Mass?” I  cannot hear the words of the priest whenever I attended a Mass. I am usually just a mere observer but I understand its complete sequences. But that is already enough for me to join in the prayers; it’s about God and me anyway. So during the Mass officiated by Fr. Dante, we prayed for the success of the event, for the patients, as well as for the strength of one another.

Upon entering each ward, I gave a short introduction and shared with them my mantra “while there’s life, there is definitely hope.” I can really testify to that. For instance, more than a hundred people came to volunteer for the project last year. Until now, I am still amazed at how this little project that started seven years ago becomes bigger and better every year.

Having a lot of volunteers means a lot of interactions with the patients and more effort, time and love were shared. We learned their stories, gave them encouragement, prayed for them and most importantly, we were able to put a smile on their faces. Adding more fun were the magicians of The Story Circle who entertained not only the patients but their caretakers and volunteers as well.

The event was so tiring especially because of the very hot weather. It was really exhausting, but with all the smiles and happiness that had been passed around, I must say that it was all worth it!

HUMBLING EXPERIENCE

Since May is also Neurofibromatosis (NF) Awareness Month, I asked some of my NF friends to join us. We handed flyers with basic information about our condition as our way of showing everyone that being sick and looking different from others are not a hindrance for us to share and care. NF is not contagious anyway.

There were a number of people who weren’t able to participate this year but amazingly there were a lot of new volunteers with us. Here are some of their thoughts.

“Nakakalungkot, masakit sa dibdib makakita ng mga batang may sakit. Pero kapag inabutan mo sila ng tulong lalo na ‘yung mga toys, kitang kita mo ‘yung ngiti at saya sa mga mga mata nila,” shares Ate Cecile.

Meanwhile, Ate Cres says, “As a Mom, I can feel their pain. After saying a little prayer, I got out and calmed myself because I was there to make them happy and not spread negative vibes.”

Jenyh, on the other hand, considers the event a humbling and heartwarming experience after seeing the conditions of the kids and talking to their parents. “It made us wish we could do more to help,” she adds.

Thank you so much for everyone who supported MAY Birthday Project 2013! I will keep doing this for as long as I am alive, breathing, and celebrating my birthday.

Today is my mom’s birthday. Please include her in your prayers that she may continue to get through, despite her lupus. All these wouldn’t be possible without her.

 ***

Safara Chloee Gabayan was diagnosed with Biliary Atresia and needs to undergo a liver transplant in Taiwan that costs about R4 to 5 million. Her family is doing everything they can to raise the needed funds. You may get in touch with her mother Maryval at 09079899385 / 09233432580 and direct your donations via BDO Account # 2360459992 under account name Joey Gabayan.

Let me share with you this poem I got from the internet. No one knows who the real author is but it is too good not too share.

 “Hope is such a marvelous thing. It bends, it twists, it sometimes hides, but rarely does it break. It sustains us when nothing else can. It gives us reason to continue and the courage to move ahead, whenever we tell ourselves that we’d rather give in. Hope puts a smile on our faces when the heart cannot manage. Hope puts our feet on the path when our eyes cannot see it. Hope moves us to act when our souls are confused of the direction. Hope is a wonderful thing, something to be cherished and nurtured, and something that will refresh us in return. And it can be found in each of us, and it can bring light into the darkest of places. NEVER LOSE HOPE!”

KCAT CAN: Addressing a global issue

Addressing a global issue
By Maria Kathrina Lopez Yarza
Published: May 13, 2013

It’S my birthday today! The month of May has always been special to me not only because this is my birth month, but because of a couple of other reasons that calls for a celebration. Most of my family members were born this month – my uncle on the 6th, my dad on the 10th, my cousin on the 16th, my brother on the 17th, my grandmother on the 20thh and my mother on the 27th.

This May 18 will be our 7th annual gift-giving at the Philippine General Hospital and I’m certain that it will be as successful as the previous years. More importantly, it’s also Neurofibromatosis (NF) Awareness Month, and I’ll get to celebrate it with my NF friends who’ll be joining me in my upcoming birthday project to spread NF awareness on May 18. Someday, I wish that we’ll have our own NF event in the country.

When Rachel Mindrup posted a message on our Neurofibromatosis Philippines page regarding her advocacy, I was really amazed with what she did. It’s not every day that you get to receive a message written in Filipino by an American. She is the artist behind The Many Faces of NF, where she raises NF awareness through her art.

Rachel had never heard of Neurofibromatosis until nine years ago, when her son Henry, then only four months old, was diagnosed with it. She researched about her son’s condition but there wasn’t much information online or any book  about it in the library. She wanted to just forget about her son’s condition, but every time she tries, Henry would have some new complication. She realized that NF isn’t going away and trying to pretend it doesn’t exist isn’t going to help, so the best thing to do is just live with it.

In 2008, she joined Facebook and met a couple of parents whose children had NF. She was able to easily identify with them. They told her about the NF Endurance team and some of the walks that she could participate in.

“The truth is, I hate exercising. Even more than this, I hate fundraising. I do not like asking people for money,” shares Rachel.

That posed a problem because she needed people to raise funds for NF research in order to help her son. Then she learned about Reggie Bibbs, the founder of Just Ask! Foundation. The non-profit organization is dedicated to spreading awareness about NF and helping people affected by it lead a more productive and satisfying life. Rachel painted a portrait of Reggie as a token of appreciation for what he is doing.

“I wasn’t sure if he would like it or not. I just wanted to do something to keep him going out spreading NF awareness. It’s a token of appreciation from a mother of a child with NF,” Rachel says.

Reggie loved the portrait, word spread and before she knew it, she had already painted over 80 portraits. All she asks in return is for people to donate money for NF research and/or spend time raising awareness.

Because of this, Rachel learned that NF manifests itself differently from person to person. Some may have facial disfigurements while others have tumors growing internally. Still others may have no tumors, and suffer from severe learning disorders. There really isn’t just one “look” and that’s how she came up with the name “Many Faces of NF” on Facebook.

“I thought, and I think it is working, that if I started painting all of these portraits, people would notice how different everyone looks from each other and yet this is what binds us all,” relates Rachel.

Aside from doing watercolor portraits, she also delved into oil portraits of persons with NF while doing what they enjoy like drinking coffee, playing the guitar, building Legos, and playing a keyboard. She wanted the person’s personality to take center stage while the NF takes a back seat. She wants people to realize that just because someone has NF, it doesn’t mean that they are limited or that it is their defining feature.

“People often ask me if this is just something common here in Nebraska or the Midwest. I mean...really?,” Rachel says, hoping that people will see it as a global problem.

As for writing in Filipino, Rachel says that she intentionally tries her best to message people in their own languages so she would be able to effectively convey her advocacy.

She believes that if she paints as many different people, ages and ethnicities of persons with this disorder, it will help more people realize that this isn’t just something going on in one country, and that everyone around the world needs to work together to find the cure and treatment.

“I want to make NF well known all over the world. I want to take it to every country that’s willing to listen,” adds Reggie Bibbs.

Rachel hopes to turn these portraits into a full-color book so that everyone may learn about NF and how it affects the people that have it. To achieve this, she needs as many “Likes” on http://www.facebook.com/ManyFacesNF.

Like the people with NF, Baby Belle Espeleta who was diagnosed with Biliary Atresia needs help. She has been inflicted with this rare disease in the liver, needs to have an operation before she turns one this coming May 25. The operation costs four million pesos. If you want to extend your help, call Abbey Espeleta at 0922-4517438.