RONELO JOVEN Jr.
Five members of the Joven family, including the father, are suffering from osteogenesis imperfecta, a genetic disorder which makes bones very brittle.
As a result, Ronelo Joven Sr. and his four children have difficulty standing or walking, making their lives far from normal.
Premrose, Joven Sr.’s wife, said that her husband was diagnosed with the crippling disease after he complained of recurring back pain. In May 2003, his condition worsened when he fell down the stairs in his house in Sorsogon City.
Joven Sr. is a public school teacher who teaches mathematics, science and Edukasyong Pantahanan at Pangkabuhayan. He passed on his ailment to four of his six children: Ronelo Jr., 15; Princess, 10; Christine Friday, 7; and Trina, 4.
“While Ronelo Jr. is also undergoing chemotherapy for leukemia, [we prioritized treatment for] Christine Friday as her condition is the most serious. In fact, she is scheduled for surgery next week at Philippine General Hospital,” said Premrose, a former teacher at Alternative Learning Center.
She added that the family was trying to raise P98,000 for the operation: P70,000 for the steel implant which will allow Christine Friday to walk and P28,000 for the procedure.
“We are praying that your readers will be able to help us with our children’s medical expenses. We will forever be grateful to them,” Premrose said.
At the moment, she and her four sick children are staying at Daughters of Charity, a charitable group ran by nuns on UN Avenue, Manila. It offers shelter to people seeking treatment in the city who do not have relatives to take them in.
Premrose Joven can be reached at 0948-8364071. Those who want to help her family may deposit their donations in her BPI account (#8909120951).