tacK iN & OuT: Wishlist 2013: MAY Birthday Project on May 18

Months before my birthday in 2007, I felt like God had been showering me with a lot of blessings which made me decide to give back something in return. I thought, "I want to celebrate my birthday with the kids in the hospital." Ideas about the event kept rushing in my mind; I want to do this and that but then again, I asked myself, "But we are not rich, how can we fund the event?”

Then I came up with a solution, “I will share the greatest blessings blessings that I have."

We lacked the financial means to do it but God made my sincere desire to share and care a reality. We are not wealthy, but I believe that I am rich in non-material things. He gave me more blessings — they are my friends and family who helped me put everything together.

Sharing doesn't really have price tags and the event does not need to be grand. What matters most is to share our hearts and make those patients happy. I want to make them smile even with the hardships they are in.

I could easily identify with the patients because I am sick as well. I can tell them “I feel for you” while giving them hope and sharing my faith with them.

It'll be my birthday and MAY Birthday Project in 2 months and I'm knocking to the doors of your hearts once again to join me in making this a successful event like the previous years. You can do so by donating and volunteering.

Please help me come up with the things that we'll share with the patients. Just think of it as your gift to me because it's my birthday!

So here's my wishlist:

Alcohol

Cotton

Tissue

Powder

Soap

Diapers (for kid / adult)

Toys (preferably new)

Face towel

Toothbrush

Toothpaste

You can also give candies & pastries ...and whatever you want to share.

Monetary donations are also welcome - it will help us in making the event extra special. :)

We'll repack everything that we'll be able collect and distribute it to every patient in Pedia Wards (9 & 11). Pedia ICU, Nuerosurgery (Brain & Spine) and last year we were able to add ORL ward - all these are charity wards.

When we went to PGH a few weeks ago, we passed by the Neurology Ward and I wondered, “Maybe we can also share the love in this ward.” We can make it, right?

Since I too have been admitted in the hospital a number of times before, I know that these toiletries are really of use to these patients. So that Instead of using whatever money they have come up with to buy those things, we’re are going to gift it to them instead; with foods of course! And because it's boring to just stay in the hospital bed, we're gonna give the kids something to play with.

MAY Birthday Project has been going on for 7 years now and what started out as a simple idea became a reality and it became bigger and better each year. More people joined and shared with us, and so a lot more patients had been reached. Our group was initially composed of 28 people when we stated in 2007. Surprisingly, we reached over a hundred in last year’s event. And since we had a lot of volunteers, we were able to interact with all the patients – learning their stories, giving words of encouragement, and prayers because we were not there to shake our hands with them, but to reach out and lend a hand.

I'm really happy to know, feel & see that we have given them care, happiness, strength, hope & also inspiration. It's an achievement indeed!

The volunteers of last year's gift-giving who shared their love to the patients at PGH

A volunteer or a sponsor of this event doesn’t necessarily need to be someone I personally know because in one way or another, someone is blessed to have another someone as a friend, which is the main purpose of this event: to share the blessing that we call friends. Together as one, we show these patients that we care and that we share whatever we can in order to give them the hope to live on. So it means that even you, who are reading this, can take part in this event. If we gather together and show these patients that we care, we can give them the hope to live on. It will be very tiring, but I promise you that it will be fun and fulfilling!

Let's make this event a success once again. If you wish to be part of MAY Birthday Project this 2013, You may contact my mother Madge Yarza at 0927-2459400 or myself at 0906-3360757 or 0923-5219600.

Deadline of donations will be on May 10 (Friday), since we will have to repack and prepare everything before the event.

Our little actions of love, when put together, can make a big difference. And it’s also possible that every time we do something good, the world changes and gets a little bit better, don’t you think? No matter how insignificant you think you are, you still matter. Everyone matters.

Mother Teresa said, “One of the greatest diseases is to be nobody to anybody.” So let’s become someone significant in the life of another. We can start by sharing to those who are in need of our help.