God bless the child
by Maria Kathrina Lopez Yarza
June 20, 2011
I love children! I love playing and talking with them. One of my favorite things to do is to observe kids while playing, running around, or simply doing nothing at all. They can make someone happy even without putting much effort. They are naturally adorable in their own ways.
I was having a conversation with one of my friends and we talked about how the kids of today are far different from what we were during our generation. We did not have play stations, cell phones, computers, internet services, cable TVs, iPods, and other game consoles then, but childhood days were fun and enjoyable, nonetheless. We enjoyed playing a lot of street games with our friends, like patintero, tumbang preso, syatong, langit-lupa, piko, Chinese garter, etc. We enjoyed writing letters, doodling, and passing our slum books around. There were times when I thought to myself, “If only there had been Facebook and Internet before….” But then again, I would tell myself, “Good thing they were not invented yet, for I might not have had those beautiful childhood memories to cherish right now.”
One sad thing though is that there are a lot of kids these days who are staying in the hospitals, instead of on the playground.
Kurt
Early in April, I was shocked to learn the news that Isaiah Kurtis, the son of my high school friend, has been diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Anemia. Now I know how everyone close to me felt when they learned that I was sick, it is indeed very disheartening. Kurt just turned one year old before being diagnosed, and instead of starting to enjoy his toddler years like most of the kids, he needs to frequent the hospital and undergo chemotherapy thrice a week. Yes, thrice a week, and it is painful.
But after his cries of pain, he will be back to being a happy and playful child once again. It seems like he is trying to impart that he is still full of hope. The chemotherapy sessions are expensive, and his parents are just regular employees who earn just enough to sustain the family’s needs. Out of love, they came up with a fund-raising campaign for their son. Visit http://help-kurt.webs.com and share your love to Kurt too.
Baby Jon
Being sick myself, I have compassion for sick persons as well, especially kids. I know how it feels. I have felt a lot of pain, both physically and emotionally. I am already an adult and have experienced the good life; but how about these sick kids? How I wish I could take away the pain from them. I know that it is not really possible; but we could bring smiles to their face instead.
Baby Jon Angelo Viado (June 13, 2008 — January 31, 2011) may not have been able to celebrate his third birthday, but for sure, God threw a birthday party for him in heaven. His parents, Joni and Tet, had breathed hope for Baby Jon, and did everything they possibly can to take care of him. Because of his parents, Baby Jon became a happy, lively child despite the pains of his illness. After more than two years of suffering, God took care of Baby Jon and placed him on His lap. Joni and Tet never stopped breathing hope after Baby Jon passed on. They continue to reach out to other sick kids until the present.
In celebration of Baby Jon’s birthday, they held a charity event at Philippine Children’s Medical Center last June 13 and held a party for the sick kids.
My family and I were not really planning to join the event since it is far from our place and we had a previous engagement. I wanted to take part in it, and share hope in my own little way, so my siblings and I made a lot of loot bags full of candies for the kids. I asked Talitha, my sister, to bring them to the hospital instead. I actually really wanted to join, but it was not really possible due to our schedule; but it was God who peeked on my hidden prayer and answered me with a “Yes”. My sister was not able to go, so my mom, dad, brother and I went there instead to bring the goodies. Since we were already at the venue, we decided to join the event as well.
It was a grand party any kid would want. There were games, magic show, clowns, mascots, food and lots of toys for the children. Ryan Bang, one of the celebrity supporters of Breathe Hope, joined the fun and read a storybook to the kids. It was amazing to watch how the children’s faces lighted up when they saw a celebrity mingling with them. In my mind, I told those kids, “Yes, you can have fun like healthy kids do.” In Ryan Bang’s tweet that day, he shared: “Natotouch ako kasi masaya sila dahil bumisita ako dito.” It was so nice to see different kinds of happy faces because of one reason. If I could, I would have kept on smiling in the whole event.
Push for kids
My newfound friend, Rachelle (of Touch of Ellehcar) and her friends have been organizing outreach programs for children in need since last year. They successfully helped in a couple of events for kids last year namely Cupcakes for Kids, Operation Smile and Toys for Joy.
This coming July 9, Rachelle will be holding another event called Push for Kids. Quoting from her Facebook post: “Imagine going through a school year with no paper and pencil. That is how desperate the need is for so many children for basic school necessities.
To respond to this need, Touch of Ellehcar has launched another major project — PUSH FOR EDUCATION. They are currently gathering notebooks, pencils, crayons, sharpeners, pad papers, plastic envelopes, ruler and chalk to be given to 500 kids of their chosen charity. If you wish to donate and sponsor a child, you may contact Rachelle Gregorio at 09275042796.
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