Mc Querby Cartativo
For 9-year-old Hans Mc Querby Cartativo, even maintaining eye contact with his loved ones is difficult.
Hans is suffering from cerebral palsy, a lifetime neurological condition that affects movement and muscle coordination. He was only five months old when first diagnosed by doctors at the Quirino Memorial Medical Center.
“His legs are always folded so he needs to undergo occupational and physical therapy. Every six months, he must be injected with Botox to relax his muscles,” said his mother Josephine Cartativo.
During occupational therapy, Hans learns to touch and distinguish objects while in physical therapy, he is taught to stand up and stretch his arms.
But to help him do these things, he must be injected with Clostridium botulinum Type A at a cost of P24,900 once every three months.
“We provided him with a standing brace to help him move. However, it takes at least 30 minutes to put it on and he is already tired by the time we are finished. We donated it instead to the Marikina Health Office so that those who need it more can use it. Still, we need another type of brace which he can use even when he is lying in bed,” Josephine told the Inquirer. The Cartativos live in San Roque, Marikina City.
Josephine Cartativo can be reached at 0915-1069362 or 5066580. Donations for her son’s medical expenses can be deposited in her husband’s UnionBank account (Manolito Cartativo/account number 100328003856).