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| St. James COPA Foundation, Inc. CHURCH OF THE POOR APOSTOLATE PARISH OF ST JAMES THE GREAT AYALA ALABANG VILLAGE |
| COPYRIGHT 2007. ST JAMES - COPA FOUNDATION, INC. AYALA ALABANG VILLAGE, MUNTINLUPA CITY PHILIPPINES |
| The Boundless Hope of J.R. Siony Kalalo & Gigi Bautista |
J.R. Pepito was eleven years old, a Grade 4 student at Pedro A. Diaz public school in Muntinlupa City when he suddenly fell ill. His
face was swelling, including his eyelids, and he was urinating blood. He was rushed to a village clinic where he was given antibiotic.
The blood excretion was said to have been caused by a “wound in his kidney”. After a week of treatment, the swelling subsided and the
blood excretion was controlled, but their neighbour referred him to the Philippine General Hospital for further treatment. He was
required to regularly report to PGH weekly where medicines were prescribed and regular laboratory works were done. After seven
months of treatment J.R. stopped going to PGH without clearance from his attending physician because his parents could no longer
afford to pay for transportation and laboratory works. The family felt that J.R. was quite healed and they decided to enrol him as
Grade 4 repeater. He graduated Grade V1 in April of 2005.
In June 2005 J.R. was enrolled as a high school freshman, but after three months of schooling ,he again fell ill. It started with fever
which developed into flu and he had to be rushed to MCM hospital in Muntinlupa when he passed out after a seizure. The doctor
ordered him to undergo dialysis. He was transferred to Ospital ng Muntinlupa and later referred to the National Kidney Institute (NKI)
since the former did not have dialysis equipment at that time. At NKI, he was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease. The doctor
recommended kidney transplant for one kidney even though his two kidneys are badly damaged. The medical bill for one week stay in
NKI amounted to PHP 78,000.00. The family sought financial assistance from the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) which
granted them PHP 75,000.00.
J.R.’s family cannot afford the cost of a kidney transplant and so NKI advised J.R. to undergo dialysis treatment three (3) times a day.
On a monthly basis, J.R. has to go to NKI for medical consultations that would cost him, including laboratory works between PHP 400 to
800. These rates are highly discounted, as J.R. is considered an indigent patient. J.R. survives on daily dialysis, which he personally
administers at his home with the help of his mother, through funds given by PCSO. He goes to PCSO every month to line up and
register to avail of free medical assistance. For the last five (5) years he has been on the PCSO list of patients. He gets from PCSO 14
boxes (6 bags/box) of Baxter Dialysis Solution. He consumes three bags daily which translate to one box of Baxter Box every two days.
The fourteen boxes of dialysis solution is good for twenty-eight days so J.R. goes back to PCSO at least fifteen days before he runs out
of supply. Aside from daily dialysis, J.R. has to take a number of medicines and has to have injections for generation of red blood cells.
While PCSO has an allocated budget of PHP 35,000.00/month for his Baxter dialysis solution and maintenance medicines, the
prescribed medicines are not always available at the drugstore where he is directed by PCSO to bring his coupon. J.R. cannot bring
the PCSO coupon to any drugstore other than the one specified by PCSO. Because of this policy, J.R. is able to avail an average of PHP
23,000.00 a month only from his total allocation. This amount covers mostly his Baxter dialysis solution. For his other medications, J.R.
uses his better judgement as to which medicines to buy that are not made available to him. He cannot buy erythropoietin vials for his
injection three times a week because each vial costs at least PHP 1,000.00.
Our hospice doctor is very worried about his inability to have this injection at least twice a week. The medication is intended for the
production of red blood because his kidneys cannot generate erythropoietin anymore. He can get severely anemic and can die from
lack of oxygen.
To be able to buy the medicines that he cannot get from the budget allocated by PCSO because the designated supplier/drugstore
does not have them, J.R. resorted to sell, through his father, peanuts that he personally fries. The father works with a janitorial
manpower services firm and is currently assigned at HSBC. His father sells it to his co-workers. J.R.’s net profit is PHP 800/week. He
spends PHP 600.00 for medicines and the PHP 200.00, he gives to the family for food.
Recently PCSO changed its policy by reducing the amount of allocation to PHP 140,000.00/year to be availed of every quarter. This
leaves J.R. in a quandary as to how he can get the medicines he needs especially his dialysis solution which would cost him at least
PHP 264,000.00/year.
J.R. is now 22 years old, having been born on March 13, 1989 to the spouses Edwardo Pepito, Sr. and Angelita De la Cruz, now 61
and 56 years of age, respectively.
The three of them live in a 3x8 meters space in Muntinlupa City together with six other members of the family that includes 2 unmarried
children, a married son and his wife and two of their children. The father is the only one with a regular job, earning about PHP 9,120
/month. Gilbert, his brother works as construction helper whenever there are available jobs for him. Starting June of this year, he will
attend Don Bosco Technical School as scholar to study Automotive Short Term Course. Angelica, 18 years of age is on a two-year
scholarship program at Don Bosco Technical School studying Electrical Vocational Course. It was Angelica who referred Gilbert to Don
Bosco Technical School. Alvin, the married son is jobless and takes care of his two children while his wife Francia works as a sewer in
a garment manufacturing company. Another daughter, Elvira, married, is a tee girl working in a golf course at PHP 50.00/hour. She rents
a room with her unemployed husband near the residence of her parents.
J.R. is now on the 9th year of his illness, has been on dialysis for five (5) years and four (4) months not necessarily 3 times a day as
prescribed but at least once a day to keep him hoping. J.R. is intelligent and decisive, understands and memorizes his medications
with precision and has a complete file of his prescriptions neatly tucked in a small portfolio that is always within his reach. He is shy but
not timid and exudes an irresistible charm that shows his acceptance of the life he now has as well as the circumstances of his birth,
but not closing the door to a happy future when at last his sickness will be taken away from him by a miracle, worked by our Lord,
through people who would support his regular medications and make possible a kidney transplant for him. Ayala Alabang Hospice is
firmly holding J.R.’s hand to sustain his hope for a dream that he dared to dream with great faith in God.
face was swelling, including his eyelids, and he was urinating blood. He was rushed to a village clinic where he was given antibiotic.
The blood excretion was said to have been caused by a “wound in his kidney”. After a week of treatment, the swelling subsided and the
blood excretion was controlled, but their neighbour referred him to the Philippine General Hospital for further treatment. He was
required to regularly report to PGH weekly where medicines were prescribed and regular laboratory works were done. After seven
months of treatment J.R. stopped going to PGH without clearance from his attending physician because his parents could no longer
afford to pay for transportation and laboratory works. The family felt that J.R. was quite healed and they decided to enrol him as
Grade 4 repeater. He graduated Grade V1 in April of 2005.
In June 2005 J.R. was enrolled as a high school freshman, but after three months of schooling ,he again fell ill. It started with fever
which developed into flu and he had to be rushed to MCM hospital in Muntinlupa when he passed out after a seizure. The doctor
ordered him to undergo dialysis. He was transferred to Ospital ng Muntinlupa and later referred to the National Kidney Institute (NKI)
since the former did not have dialysis equipment at that time. At NKI, he was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease. The doctor
recommended kidney transplant for one kidney even though his two kidneys are badly damaged. The medical bill for one week stay in
NKI amounted to PHP 78,000.00. The family sought financial assistance from the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) which
granted them PHP 75,000.00.
J.R.’s family cannot afford the cost of a kidney transplant and so NKI advised J.R. to undergo dialysis treatment three (3) times a day.
On a monthly basis, J.R. has to go to NKI for medical consultations that would cost him, including laboratory works between PHP 400 to
800. These rates are highly discounted, as J.R. is considered an indigent patient. J.R. survives on daily dialysis, which he personally
administers at his home with the help of his mother, through funds given by PCSO. He goes to PCSO every month to line up and
register to avail of free medical assistance. For the last five (5) years he has been on the PCSO list of patients. He gets from PCSO 14
boxes (6 bags/box) of Baxter Dialysis Solution. He consumes three bags daily which translate to one box of Baxter Box every two days.
The fourteen boxes of dialysis solution is good for twenty-eight days so J.R. goes back to PCSO at least fifteen days before he runs out
of supply. Aside from daily dialysis, J.R. has to take a number of medicines and has to have injections for generation of red blood cells.
While PCSO has an allocated budget of PHP 35,000.00/month for his Baxter dialysis solution and maintenance medicines, the
prescribed medicines are not always available at the drugstore where he is directed by PCSO to bring his coupon. J.R. cannot bring
the PCSO coupon to any drugstore other than the one specified by PCSO. Because of this policy, J.R. is able to avail an average of PHP
23,000.00 a month only from his total allocation. This amount covers mostly his Baxter dialysis solution. For his other medications, J.R.
uses his better judgement as to which medicines to buy that are not made available to him. He cannot buy erythropoietin vials for his
injection three times a week because each vial costs at least PHP 1,000.00.
Our hospice doctor is very worried about his inability to have this injection at least twice a week. The medication is intended for the
production of red blood because his kidneys cannot generate erythropoietin anymore. He can get severely anemic and can die from
lack of oxygen.
To be able to buy the medicines that he cannot get from the budget allocated by PCSO because the designated supplier/drugstore
does not have them, J.R. resorted to sell, through his father, peanuts that he personally fries. The father works with a janitorial
manpower services firm and is currently assigned at HSBC. His father sells it to his co-workers. J.R.’s net profit is PHP 800/week. He
spends PHP 600.00 for medicines and the PHP 200.00, he gives to the family for food.
Recently PCSO changed its policy by reducing the amount of allocation to PHP 140,000.00/year to be availed of every quarter. This
leaves J.R. in a quandary as to how he can get the medicines he needs especially his dialysis solution which would cost him at least
PHP 264,000.00/year.
J.R. is now 22 years old, having been born on March 13, 1989 to the spouses Edwardo Pepito, Sr. and Angelita De la Cruz, now 61
and 56 years of age, respectively.
The three of them live in a 3x8 meters space in Muntinlupa City together with six other members of the family that includes 2 unmarried
children, a married son and his wife and two of their children. The father is the only one with a regular job, earning about PHP 9,120
/month. Gilbert, his brother works as construction helper whenever there are available jobs for him. Starting June of this year, he will
attend Don Bosco Technical School as scholar to study Automotive Short Term Course. Angelica, 18 years of age is on a two-year
scholarship program at Don Bosco Technical School studying Electrical Vocational Course. It was Angelica who referred Gilbert to Don
Bosco Technical School. Alvin, the married son is jobless and takes care of his two children while his wife Francia works as a sewer in
a garment manufacturing company. Another daughter, Elvira, married, is a tee girl working in a golf course at PHP 50.00/hour. She rents
a room with her unemployed husband near the residence of her parents.
J.R. is now on the 9th year of his illness, has been on dialysis for five (5) years and four (4) months not necessarily 3 times a day as
prescribed but at least once a day to keep him hoping. J.R. is intelligent and decisive, understands and memorizes his medications
with precision and has a complete file of his prescriptions neatly tucked in a small portfolio that is always within his reach. He is shy but
not timid and exudes an irresistible charm that shows his acceptance of the life he now has as well as the circumstances of his birth,
but not closing the door to a happy future when at last his sickness will be taken away from him by a miracle, worked by our Lord,
through people who would support his regular medications and make possible a kidney transplant for him. Ayala Alabang Hospice is
firmly holding J.R.’s hand to sustain his hope for a dream that he dared to dream with great faith in God.