Four-year-old Luli was clad in a white dress with glittery wings as she lined up with eight cancer-stricken kids wearing angel costumes to offer flowers for the Virgin Mary.
Unlike other children who freely flash megawatt smiles while approaching the altar, they wore face masks to protect their immune systems from infection.
Luli, the youngest, has been undergoing treatment for three years for Langerhans cell histiocytosis, a rare disorder characterized with excess white blood cells.
The nine children aged 4 to 12 years old took part in a special Flores de Mayo and Santacruzan procession organized by the Cebu Cancer Institute (CCI) and Kythe Inc. at the Perpertual Succour Hospital (PSH) chapel in Cebu City.
The Santacruzan caps the the month of May, whis is celebrated by Catholics as a period of special devotion to the Virgin Mary with daily offerings of flowers, prayers and Mass.
Luli’s father Rex Dayola, a Philippine Air Force official, skipped work to witness his daughter’s special day.
“She wanted me to be with her today,” Dayola said while carrying Luli.
He was previously assigned in Palawan but requested to be transferred to Cebu to attend to his daughter in PSH.
Shalom Bernales, Kythe Foundation Inc. volunteer, said the third annual Santacruzan was sure to boost the spirits of the children.
“Most of our past participants are already gone. At least once in their short life we were able to let them experience Flores de Mayo and Santacruzan,” she said. Of the nine kids this year, two had done this before.
Kythe Foundation is a nonstock, non-profit organization that supports “Child Life Program” in Perpetual Succor Hospital.
Currently, Kythe is helping 25 patients in PSH-CCI, Bernales said. CCI chief Sr. Carmelita Boot said she is grateful for the support of Kythe and other nongovernment organizations (NGOs) for their patients.