Friday, October 18, 2002
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Can I just say that the hospital visit Ami and I went to yesterday will probably go down as one of the most emotionally draining and depressing one?
We went to Rizal Hospital in Pasig, which is a government-run place. We asked the social workers there who we could visit at the children's ward and they referred us to two cases. The children's ward is located at the basement and it's always full. There are beds in the hallway and the bantays sometimes don't have stools to sit on, so they stand or walk around. Kids and infants infect one another as well. The first case was this girl. She was found wandering in Quiapo and this kind hearted small time fish vendor willingly took her in (and that woman has five school age children and a husband who earns below minimum wage) because she was afraid of the girl being abused in the streets. The girl apparently left her family because they abused her. The girl then happened to have a kidney disease, so the woman brought her to the hospital. All I can say is, I cannot imagine the spirit of the woman. She took the girl in and took care of her. The woman can't sell now because of the MMDA's rules against selling on the sidewalks, so no income on her part. She stays with the girl overnight in the hospital and takes care of her, as a real mother would (with all the dialysis, cleaning the girl up and stuff). The second case is this little boy who has a tumor on his face--like along his jaw. I think he's a wish kid, but I'm not sure if he's with Make-A-Wish or the wish show on GMA. Anyway, the social worker mentioned that that kid's bed was outside the ward (as in, in the hallway for everyone to see, right by the stairs) because no one wanted to come near him already because, well, it seems that the kid's time is near. The mother is single, unemployed with two other children. The little boy undergoes chemo and he's so skinny. He can't eat and all that. It was so sad. It wasn't only me whose eyes were welling up with tears, but that of the mother's, as she chatted us up. They need so much--chemo, drugs, blood (to repay the blood bank), etc., but it's not easy. And yet, the mother is not as broken as a weaker person would be. I was pretty much humbled yesterday after the visit.
Posted at 6:06 PM |
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