This past September, we carried forward with our mission to help 3 children in the Philippines. Gerald, Lester, and Marjun were 3 boys on the verge of receiving surgeries done for their respective ailments at the time.

Before and after

This is Gerald, he finally got his surgery done at the beginning of October 2008. Celina told me that once he woke up to see his facial opening closed for the first time in his life, he took a make-up compact mirror and couldn’t put it down.

This is Lester, he received his surgery around Oct-Nov of this year.

This was a sigh of relief for us because it was taking so long to really know when the surgeries would take place, if they even would. Today, Lester no longer has to hold his abdomen when running or wear thick clothing to hide his colostomy pouch. Today he has nothing to hide.

It’s odd how people, without any physical ailments, can still live their lives hiding something that isn’t there, or isn’t evident to others. I don’t know what is more painful to watch, a child who plays risking injury to a colostomy pouch, or an adult who stays to themselves to avoid risking injury to their self-esteem. We have come to know both, and it hurts just the same.

Marjun has yet to receive his surgery. That in itself is also a long story. We will save that for until he has finally received it.