MANILA, Philippines?The worst of times can bring out the best in Filipinos.
They?ve cut back on unnecessary spending but not on generosity.
Donors, many of them anonymous, came to the rescue of a special surgery unit in the Philippine General Hospital which was closing down due to lack of funds.
The PGH Pediatric Neurosurgical Craniofacial Unit was supposed to halt operations in January after helping save 168 children from ridicule and misery because of congenital abnormalities.
Donations have reached more than half-a-million pesos so far, enough to keep the unit alive for the next 18 months, its chief proponent, Dr. Gap Legaspi, told the Philippine Daily Inquirer (parent company of INQUIRER.net).
?I never expected this kind of response, especially during [an economic] crisis,? he said.
Treating children
Private donors enabled Legaspi to set up the unit in April 2008 as the only neurosurgical unit in the country that caters to children with congenital abnormalities, performing otherwise costly procedures at affordable rates.
The unit treats children suffering from encephalocoeles (where part of the brain fills a big sac bulging between the eyes), hydrocephalus (where fluid accumulates in the brain), myelocoeles (where the spinal cord protrudes and forms a mass at the back) and craniosynostosis (which causes deformities in the face).
Operations to treat these conditions cost P300,000 in private hospitals. It costs between P15,000 and P20,000 at the unit, according to Legaspi.
Most children born with these deformities come from poor families who cannot afford multiple surgeries and rehabilitation procedures. Since the defects are not life-threatening, hard-up parents tend to defer treatment.
However, these inborn abnormalities, if not corrected, can lead to complications affecting the brain, hampering the intellect and other bodily functions.
Answering the call
The Inquirer published an article about the unit on Jan. 6. Legaspi said that in the morning of the same day, he started receiving phone calls.
?I was surprised,? he said, as his telephone number was not in the article. Those who called him had searched for his contact details?proof of their determination to help.
He got calls from relatives of his patients, politicians and even total strangers.
Saved by donors
Since the Inquirer ran the article, the unit has received some P510,000 in donations. Saved from closure, the unit has accommodated some 68 poor children since January.
?The response has been unbelievable,? Legaspi said.
?I didn?t think people would entrust big amounts of money to strangers,? he added.
The donations are being channeled to the Brain Foundation, an academic foundation for research in the field, which also helps the unit.
Big and small
A donor, who insisted on remaining anonymous, gave P190,000 and an air-conditioner. Others gave smaller amounts but would give every month since.
Previous donors also pledged to help again. The Rotary Club of San Juan del Monte, which helped refurbish the room in 2006, promised to renovate the operating room.
Sen. Pia Cayetano, through her Gabriel Symphony Foundation, established in memory of her son who died of congenital abnormalities, was once again helping the unit.
Inspired
The donations not only keep the unit alive, but they also keep the staff members inspired.
?The donations help lift the staff?s self-esteem,? Legaspi said. The funds will pay the salary of two nurses and one custodian. Surgeons usually offer their services for free, as well as the use of their own sophisticated equipment.
Legaspi said he thought Filipinos had grown cynical because of what the country has been through, but ?they are willing to help if they know where their donations are going.?
