Monday, April 28, 2008 Dreams do come true: Gift of life in PGH
WHAT is your dream for today? My dream today is for all Filipino children who cannot afford to have open-heart surgery to be able to have it at the Philippine General Hospital (PGH).
What do you want to do? I would like to restart the “Gift of Life” project at the PGH.
What is the Gift of Life Project? Back in 2003, the University of the Philippines Medical Alumni Society in America (Upmasa) NJ-NY-CT chapter donated $10,000 upon the invitation of Dr. Ramie Cadag, a Rotarian based in Long Island, New York. This became Matching Grant 23140 of the Rotary International and a total of $50,000 was raised. On March 31, 2004, the program was inaugurated in PGH. The amount of $2,000 was to be paid out to PGH for every open-heart operation on a child who cannot afford the operation at the hospital.
What has become of the project? Operations started in 2004 and went on until January 2006. After 13 surgeries, somehow, no more operations were done under the program.
Is there urgency to this project? This was a pilot project with the idea that if it works, it will be a continuing activity. The original agreement was for this project to be finished by January 2006.
What can the Filipino people do to help? On April 19 this year, Dr. Randy Nicolas (one of the consulting surgeons at PGH, who do the operations for free themselves) informed us that he will be restarting the program. He will be doing one open heart surgery as early as the second week of May. When you see Dr. Nicolas, and any of the other doctors at PGH who are working hard for the success of this pilot project, please thank them. Ask them what you can do to help. We all have to work together so that this program will continue to help indigent children have free open-heart surgery. And the sooner the grant money is used up, the greater the chance that the program will continue.
What has happened since the first article of this column? We received a lot of e-mails and texts of support. We are even getting text prayers. Please keep them up. We are keeping a log and database. Because of space restraints in Sun.Star Cebu, we will be having this column every two weeks. I hope to have an article every time I have something of importance to bring up. I do not want to waste my time or anybody else’s time. I invite comments and opinions to whatever topic I bring up. I just ask that we all remain civilized. In two weeks, we will tell you the progress of the Handog Ngiti Gift of Smile Foundation. Every voyage begins with a first step. This is our first step.
Until the day comes when medical missions in the Philippines won’t be needed, let us give a hand whenever we can. People usually say, “I am not a doctor. There is nothing I can do to help.” It is not true. There is so much work. There is always something for everybody.
Next week, we will tell you the progress regarding this medical mission and how you can help.
(Text 0915-889-5873 or send an e-mail to EmmanuelLatMD@aol.com. If you are in the US you can call me at 201-960-4415.)
