MANILA -- The parents of Miguel Garcia Dizon, who died of a brain aneurysm on November 18 last year, have committed to honor the memory of their late son by establishing the Miguel Dizon Memorial Scholarship at the Ateneo de Manila High School ( AHS ).

Mr. and Mrs. Francisco A. Dizon have committed to sponsor two freshmen through four years of high school with a 50 percent tuition and fees scholarship grant each, on the occasion of their late son’s 25th birthday last October 28 and the first anniversary of his death this November. Present during the launching of the Miguel Dizon Memorial Scholarship were his family, AHS Principal Fr. Raymund-Benedict Q. Hizon; Fr. Alberto V. Ampil; former class moderator Ria Arespacochaga; Math teacher Bong Soriano; and Raul Albarece, Miguel's football coach, among others.

Miguel graduated from the AHS in '02 and subsequently earned his bachelors degree Cum Laude from New York University in '06. He was alone in his apartment in New York, USA when he suffered a brain aneurysm last November 9, 2008. He was found still alive, albeit in a coma, five days after he suffered the aneurysm, which is characterized by the rupturing of a weakened wall in the blood vessel of an artery, resulting in a hemorrhage that can cause massive brain damage. When informed of Miguel's condition, parents Francisco and Joyce Dizon immediately flew to New York, only to find out that medical doctors had declared him brain dead. But before bringing back his remains to the Philippines, his family decided to donate some of his vital organs, knowing that this was what Miguel would have wanted to do given his generous nature.

Miguel died but has helped others survive through his organ donation. His kidney was succesfully transplanted to a 12-year-old Filipina in New York, who reportedly wrote to his family to inform them that she is now in good health, and has since kept in touch.
His liver was transplanted to a 60-year-old New Yorker, while his other abdominal organs went to other ailing patients requiring organ transplants. Miguel lives on through the beneficiaries of his organ donation.

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Ateneo, Miguel's alma mater, is trying to raise 150 scholarships on its 150th year, and partial and full scholarship donations are highly appreciated. Check Ateneo's website regarding scholarships for more details. (PR)