NEWS(Filipino baby finds hope here )

IT REMINDS MY SON KYEONGSOO

may cardiovascular desease din sya noong 2mos. palang sya, awa at paghihirap ang nakikita ko sa anak ko, salamat sa mga bagong teknolohiya at sa magaling na surgeon, at lalo na sa pedia yonsiesuakwa nakadiscover ng maaga sa sakit nang aking anak kung nahuli siguro kami baka wala na sya ngayon. pagmaysakit sa pamilya ang hirap, wala kang karamay, salamat sa maunawain at mapagmahal na asawa kahit ganun pa man, nagawa ng maaga ang operasyon at gumaling...
mahirap tumira sa ibang bansa, kailangan lang ng lakas ng loob sa pagharap ng mga problima wag agad susuko, ipaglaban, at magdasal po tayo. walang imposible.

this is my son kyeongsoo 2mos. old korean/fipino baby suffers from cardiovascular deseased. last june2011 heart surgery at samsung hospital.

Filipino baby finds hope here

Alexa Cantillon, left, a 26-month-old Filipino baby, suffers from cardiovascular disease. Catholic priest Father Choi Young-sik Matthias, right, president of the Joseph Clinic in the Philippines, arranged free heart surgery for Alexa who is to arrive here soon to undergo the procedure. / Korea Times

By Kang Hyun-kyung

A 26-month-old baby from the Philippines is to arrive in Korea soon to undergo cardiac surgery at the Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital in southern Seoul.

“Alexa Cantillon, her mother and a translator, will fly to Seoul as soon as Friday,” Rev. Father Choi Young-sik Matthias told The Korea Times over the phone on Tuesday.

Father Choi, president of the newly established Joseph Clinic, has helped the underprivileged and urban poor in the slums of the Philippines. He helped arrange Alexa family’s medical trip to Seoul.

Other Korean good Samaritans also supported the initiative by arranging for volunteers to finance the baby’s accommodation for their one-month stay in Seoul and paperwork needed for visas and the operation.

“There is a possibility that their Seoul trip could be rescheduled a few days later because of paperwork. But we are pushing to make it happen as scheduled on Friday,” Father Choi said.

Alexa has a hole in her heart. This has concerned her young parents who reside in Malabon City, a deprived settlement located in the northwestern area of Manila.

Her father is a laborer and her mom a housewife. The couple barely make ends meet, and couldn’t afford to finance this expensive surgery for their only child.

In the midst of their despondency over their inability to afford the cost of treating their baby, Father Choi’s timely intervention proved to be an amazing relief for the worried couple.

Choi began serving as head of the clinic based in Malabon City since its inception in January.

Father Choi, former president of Catholic Medical Center in southern Seoul, contacted the hospital to ask for help. He soon got the nod from the hospital.

But there were still minor works that needed to be ironed out to make Alexa’s Seoul trip possible. She needed a place to stay for a month with her mom and the Filipino translator and they also needed air tickets.

Father Lee Moon-ju, the president of the Joseph Clinic in Seoul, said he promised to sponsor their Seoul trips after hearing of Alexa’s suffering.

“On Jan. 26, I met Alexa and her mother in Malabon after attending a mass to celebrate the opening of the clinic in the Phillippines,” the Catholic priest said. “Father Choi, who arranged the meeting, told me that the little girl would need to get surgery in Korea.”

Lee said he learnt that all preparations were made except air tickets and minor paperwork.

“I instantly accepted the offer to pay for their air tickets. Her mother was so happy and grateful,” he said.

Staffers of the clinic also plan to help the little girl’s family. Choi Bok-hee, a pharmacist of Joseph Clinic Seoul, cleaned one of her apartment rooms to accommodate the Pilipino visitors.

“Actually we had two or three options. Plan A is I would like to accommodate Alexa’s family and the translator. If they don’t like my place, we also have a room to offer another apartment near my place,” Choi said.

“The remaining problem is finding a translator. The Filipino translator who is to accompany Alexa and her mother from the Philippines is a social worker. She has to go back to her job in two weeks,” Choi said.

Alexa and her mom should stay here for 20 to 30 days after the surgery as her doctor will want to monitor the baby’s recovery.

“We are looking for a volunteer translator who can speak both English and Tagalog,” Choi said. The pharmacist said she would contact volunteers who can speak both languages.