Res Gestae
"Adopt" Zhymund Jazpher! He needs you!
Please take note of the open-close quotation marks on the word adopt. While adopt (verb) means "to raise a child of other biological parents as if it were your own", the quotation marks indicate a connotation of adopt, which is help.
HELP Zhymund Jaspher! He needs you!
Jas, as I wish to call him, is a 6-year old student at Bo. Obrero Elementary School. He stands 2 feet and a few inches, I guessed. He is shorter than other kids his age. He cannot clearly sound the last note (or the syllable) of the last word he speaks. He is a grade 1 student. And he belongs to a star section.
I met Jas when I participated in the Feeding Program in their school. The program, which is almost a year now, is being sponsored jointly by the Iloilo City Police Office and the Quintin Salas Memorial Lodge 231, a mason group, headed by Mr Luis Ong.
And, what is the reason for calling help for Jas?
Well, the reason is: Jas is not only categorized as malnourished like the 200 other children in his school; he suffers from Renal Tupular Acidosis (RTA), an inborn kidney disease, which causes his "abnormal" growth.
I surfed in the internet and found out that RTA is a disease that occurs when the kidneys fail to excrete acids into the urine, which causes a person's blood to remain too acidic. Without proper treatment, chronic acidity of the blood leads to growth retardation, kidney stones, bone disease, and progressive renal failure.
There are 3 types of RTA – Types 1, 2 and 4 (no Type 3).
I am inclined to believe that Jas' RTA is either classified as Type 1 or Type 2 because his Neprologist prescribes him Potassium Citrate and Sodium Bicarbonate. Types 1 and 2 RTA are treated with a bicarbonate solution. Bicarbonate is baking soda, and it helps to neutralize the acid. The patient may also need to take a potassium supplement to raise blood potassium levels, vitamin D, and antibiotics, depending upon its symptoms. Type 4 is the only type of RTA that is not hereditary, but is caused by autoimmune disease, diabetes mellitis, urinary tract obstruction, or sickle cell disease.
Jaz and his 9-year old sibling, Zhyray, are survived by their mother alone. Their father, Raymund, left them for another woman. Zenia, their mother, is now an Overseas Filipino Worker in Hongkong. She was forced to leave the country and her 2 kids by the very compelling circumstances: - being a mother and "father" to her Jaz and Zhy and the needed medical attention for Jaz.
But, going abroad does not suffice an answer for her responsibility to her kids, especially to Jaz. Her salary as Domestic Helper is so meager that it can hardly sustain the education and basic needs of the sibling brothers. While the tuition is free in the public school, she has to shoulder their daily allowances, school supplies, projects, and other financial contribution.
Her sister, Brenda, is of big help. Brenda attends (without cost) to the needs her nephews, Jaz and Zhy, while their mother seeks livelihood in foreign land. But Brenda can only look at the safety and well-being of the kids. She cannot lend as much financial support as the 2 kids need. She is but a government employee and has her family of her own to survive.
I write this story hoping that I can help Jaz. By letting his story known, I am hoping that it can touch the hearts of generous individuals, groups, or organization. His mother and aunt wish him to be checked at Kidney Institute in Manila to seek better remedies for his condition. They believe Jaz can recover and live a normal life, like other kids his age, when proper medical treatment will be given him.
Jaz is a soul, so fragile and helpless. As I glanced at his face, while he was enjoying the soup in the Feeding Program, I saw in him an "angel", wanting for a human care and support.
In the silent corner of my heart, I heard a whisper, "I want to 'adopt' Zhymund Jaspher!"
Will you?
I have faith that those who have been blessed with prosperity have the heart for charity.
(You can reach me by sending SMS to 09193161190 or through email at rogatepnp@yahoo.com)