MORE Samaritans last week came to the rescue of several kidney patients who have to maintain twice or thrice-a-week hemodialysis treatment for as long as they live, otherwise they will not last.
A fiftyish-looking man who declined to give his name handed P10,000 last Tuesday for patient Manuela Battateng, a 63-year old farmer's wife from Boga, Monamon Sur, Bauko, Mt. Province who has been on dialysis treatment since October 2012.
The same man then gave another P10,000 to Angelin Layugan-Taynan, wife of Jerry Taynan, a former policeman assigned to the La Trinidad, Benguet force who had to retire for kidney failure.
The Samaritan called Battateng's daughter, Annie Cadio, and Angelin, asking they meet at the McDonald’s branch at Km. 5, La Trinidad, Benguet. That's where he gave the twin amounts.
"He refused to identify himself but admitted he had undergone surgery for kidney ailment," Angelin recalled. "He had the intonation of a Kankana-ey from Bauko or somewhere in western Mt. Province."
Angelin also acknowledged the kindness of Engr. Galagal from Sablan, Benguet who visited Jerry at the hospital with a P1,200 donation.
Earlier, a head of a national government agency contributed P4,400, good for two dialysis sessions, and an equal amount for Taynan.
The same official provided P2,2000 each to Robert Sakiwat Tomas, 24, of Buyagan, La Trinidad and his uncle, April Sakiwat, 35, of Lower Magsaysay, Baguio City.
Both patients are also on dialysis at the Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center, which, as of last week, counted 192 patients from various parts of Northern Luzon it is treating for kidney failure.
Also getting wind of Battateng's condition through the weekly papers here, somebody from Bontoc, Mt. Province had the driver of a Rising Sun bus deliver his or her P1,000 donation.
A Caucasian-looking man who also declined to be identified met Sakiwat's wife, Cathy (nee Mangeda) last May 22 at the Malcolm Square here with his donation of P6,600.
"He told me he’s a missionary from Singapore," Cathy said.
A woman who also opted anonymity visited Tomas at the BGHMC May 19 and gave him P1,000. Another woman met his mother, Divina, at the Mcdonald's Session Rd. branch and gave another P1,000.
Still, another anonymous donor, a regular responder to patients appealing for help, provided expenses along the way of a team of paramedics from the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council that transported kidney patient Chester Raga for check-up at the National Kidney and Transplant Institute in Quezon City last Tuesday. (Ramon Dacawi)