I still remember that fateful day in July when a good friend called to say her little apo had been born prematurely. She was calling and texting all her friends and family to storm the heavens with prayers so God would let him live.
At 6.5 months and only one pound 12 ounces, little Wes Macatangay was so tiny, he could fit into the palm of your hand. Indeed, he was the smallest surviving baby boy at the Makati Medical Neo-natal ICU. For the next four months, we watched with awe as Wes battled one life-threatening infection after another. The neo-natal doctors called him their “little fighter,” so strong was his will to live.
Today, Wes is a healthy, happy little six-year-old, and like many children his age, he is full of boundless energy, joy and curiosity about the world around him.
But this prodigious child displayed his gift of art before he could even speak. Perhaps because of the artistic genes he inherited, and maybe due to his daily observation of grandmother Lizanne Uychaco as she wielded her brushes to create her feng shui masterpieces, Wes very quickly and naturally developed his own art. One that belies his age, showing remarkable depth and skill far beyond his six years.
Wes’s photos and paintings are featured in a show that is on view until Sept. 15 at the Art Elements Asian Gallery, Power Plant Mall, Rockwell.
Ryan Recto, son of Governor Vilma and Secretary Ralph Recto, will cut the ceremonial ribbon. The photo and art exhibit will be for the benefit of the PGH Neo-natal ICU so that others born like Wes may have the chance to live.