Curious as every child her age, Jhana Aiza B. Tubo at eight is starting to see the world whole and seeing it in a wider horizon, a clearer perspective and brighter hope for the future.
Her mother Juana never thought this day would ever come. For years, it had constantly pained her to see Jhana, then her three-month old daughter developed a whitish spot in her left eye causing it to be partially blind.
But thanks to some helping hands, in the eyes of Jhana now is a spark of hope.
Perplexed Juana, Jolly Jhana
Estranged from her first husband and a widow from the second, Juana at 44 is left with three kids ages four, five and eight years old Jhana. She is the sole provider for the growing needs of the family. Her meager income of P80.00 a day from vending cigarettes and candies in front of a food chain in Bajada, Davao City would hardly make both ends meet.
“Sa akong kita lisod kaau nga mapatambalan ang mata sa akong anak (with what I earn, it’s impossible to find treatment for the condition of my child),” Juana said with a sense of pity for their circumstance.
Juana has no means to save her child from the developing cataract in the left eye of the bubbly Jhana.
A cataract is opacity of the eyes lens of its capsule. It causes blindness by obstructing passage of light, but the patient can distinguish light from darkness.
“She was three months old when her late father noticed the white spot in her eyes” Juana recounted.
“We observed that the child’s eye was in constant rapid movement, since we didn’t have money, we consulted a “hilot” who told us to just slowly massage the eyeballs of the child which we did,” she added.
“Although we observed that the movement was reduced the whitish spot was still there… until it has gotten wider,” she said.
At five Jhana went to a kindergarten in the community by then her left eye blot out with cataract.
“I could only see lights and blur of colors like red…yellow…” Jhana said.
Despite her condition, Jhana pursued her studies until Grade 1 when some of her classmates picked on her eye condition.
“Pasagdan lang man nako sila. Bahala sila (I don’t really mind them teasing me. I didn’t care what they say about me.)” Jhana said.
Jhana related that she had difficulty at looking at the teacher and whatever is presented in front of the class. She had to turn to her right side so that she could see everything.
“Every time I need to focus on the lessons of the teacher, I turn to my right before I could clearly see. It was difficult but I endured it,” she said in the dialect smiling as if cherishing how she sustained the situation.
Juana said that it was during the kindergarten years of Jhana when she started to find help to treat the worsening condition of the left eye of the child.
“But I couldn’t keep it up. I cannot support even my fare and I don’t know where to turn to,” the exhausted mother said.
Juana said that she really desired to find treatment for her daughter’s condition but their survival was her priority. The measly income is way far to support them.
Teacher’s concern
Concerned about Jhana’s rapidly deteriorating eyes, Mrs. Kathy I. Suarez and Mrs. Ruby Ann G. Ledesma, her Grade 1 teachers at Osmeña Elementary School in Sasa, suggested to her mother to let an eye specialist check the child’s condition.
The teachers brought both mother and daughter to Davao Doctors Hospital for initial check-up for free. According to the result, the child had a cataract with some complications or trauma.
Meanwhile, the teachers suggested some names whom Juana could contact for help.
Further eye examination at DMC, the child’s was noted to have barring complications that it needed an cataract extraction operation which will cost them P49,000.00.
“Asa man ko mangita ana nga kwarta! (Where will I find such amount?!),” she blurted out after learning that the treatment she was looking for was that costly.
Helping hands, generous hearts
To source out funding for the operation, Juana sought help from the local government’s program’s Lingap para sa Mahirap which gave P3,000.00. While the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) gave an additional P10,000. She also approached the Office of the Second District Congressman Vince Garcia which gave P2000.00. Barely P15,000, still a long way.
Determined, she spoke to one of the office staff of Congressman Garcia who referred the case to Atty. Mylene J. Garcia, the office’s Chief of Staff.
The poignant story of Jhana made her pull some strings. She endorsed the case the Maharlika Charity Foundation, Inc. through its Vice President and sustaining board member Dr. Benedict Valdez.
Maharlika Foundation took the case with the required minimum cash counterpart. The foundation took the grant of the Second District Congressman as the Tubo family’s counterpart, the P3000.00 of Lingap for medicine and the P10,000 for the purchase of a special eye lens, and the rest of the P49,000 was shouldered by the foundation.
From then on, everything was arranged. Battery of tests and examinations were conducted and the eye operation was set. Thorugh the expert hands of Dr. Elvira Embalzado the operation procedure was successfully carried out on May 7, 2009 at Maharlike Center.
An Eye Opener
“Ka klaro nako karon, klaro ta gani ka, imong notebook og imong camera (I can see clearly now. I can see you, your notebook and your camera),” gaily said Jhana to the writer.
“Kung mangita lang jud ta og tabang, naa man gyud di ay motabang (If we really seek help, there will always be people who are willing to help), says the relieved mother.
Nagpasalamat gyud ko sa Ginoo, alang sa tanang mga tawo nga mitabang sa amoa kay kung wala ni sila, hangtud karon buta pa gihapon ang wa nga mata sa akong anak (I really thank the Lord for all the people who helped us. Without them the left eye of my daughter would still be blind),” said the teary eyed mother.
Continuing Treatment
Today, Jhana still maintains an eye drop medicine which cost P250.00 per bottle and has to under go monthly check up at the Maharlika Foundation Center. As this require financial expenses too, the office of Congressman Garcia shouldered the amount of medication as well as their fare for the check up until the eye of Jhana will be completely healed.
