The business of making kids happy

It doesn’t take much to please children. A candy bar, recess time or a trip to Lolo’s house is enough to merit a smile on any child’s face. Children are no stranger to fantasy, and their minds take them wherever they want to go, be it Disneyland or some precious moment from long, long ago. Some of these children are fortunate enough to see their fantasies through, but sadly, many of them are not so lucky. There are uncontrollable obstacles, which prevent children from making their fantasies a reality. Ill-health is one such obstacle. It is heartwarming to know, then, that there are individuals and organizations out there, who are committed to surmount the odds and race against time to make the wishes of a sick little child come true. Katrina Sandejas, marketing manager of philstar.com, relates her and the company’s involvement with wish-granting.

Together with Trisha Chua of Teen Philippines, Katrina was tasked with finding an outreach program, which they could participate in for Christmas 2000. "We wanted to get involved with a charitable institution or an orphanage. Something to do with children," she relates, "and it happened that Trisha was getting together with Make-A-Wish Foundation. It sounded like such a good cause, so I accompanied her to the meeting, and things picked up from there."

Make-A-Wish Foundation (MAWF) is a non-profit international wish-granting organization that has its roots in Arizona, USA. Its mission is to fulfill the wishes of kids with life-threatening illnesses, no matter how fantastic these wishes oftentimes are. On December 1, 1999, an affiliate was set up in the Philippines through the efforts of Eddie Boy Escudero, thus making it possible for terminally-ill Filipino children to benefit from the foundation’s good deeds. Since then, MAWF Philippines has granted 25 wishes, and the number continues to grow. During their meeting with Eddie Boy he shared many moving stories with Katrina and Trisha. He told them about the children and their delight in seeing their dreams come true. And after listening to him, the two girls became eager to lend a hand.

Katrina was particularly intent on joining MAWF, because of her own personal experience. "I had a 12-year-old brother, who passed away from leukemia many years ago," she relates, "He was older and I was only 8 when he died. When I met Eddie Boy, he told me about the work that they did, I couldn’t help but wonder how things might have been, had they been here when my brother died."

To make their invovement with MAWF more fruitful, Katrina and Trisha invited more companies to help grant wishes. These companies were the Philippine STAR, RFM Corporation, Selecta, Little Cesar’s, and Bidshot Auctions. As soon as these companies, along with philstar.com and Teen Philippines, were mobilized, application forms were distributed among all employees of the Philippine STAR and RFM Corporation with the purpose of finding children to help. And in a few weeks, four "wish children" were chosen. They were Cheradie Fortes, 16 years old; Mary Rose Duma, 10 years old; Christine Joy Fungo, 4 years old; and John Elrod Gabaya, 10 years old. All four children were diagnosed with leukemia with the exception of Christine Joy, who had brain abscess and a hole in her heart.

Cheradie’s first wish, according to Katrina, was to receive medication for her illness. Although providing medical treatment was not part of MAWF’s thrust, they gave in to Cheradie’s request through the help of the country’s leading drug store chain, Mercury Drug. The company agreed to shoulder Cheradie’s medication for six months. As it turned out, however, Cheradie changed her mind and opted to visit her beloved grandmother in Samar instead.

"Apparently, she lived her first seven years in Samar with her grandmother," Katrina explains, "so we bought three bus tickets (for Cheradie, her mom and her dad) to go to Samar, plus pocket money. They stayed there for one week before coming back to Manila."

Mary Rose Duma’s story is just as heartrending. Her wish to meet her long-time idol, singer-actress-politician Jessa Zaragoza, came true. "Mary Rose brought flowers for her and wrote her a card," Katrina recalls. " First, she and Jessa sang together, and then, Jessa sang to her. It was nice to see. She was so excited to be next to her idol that she was shaking and crying. It felt really good to see her so happy." Aside from meeting Jessa, Mary Rose also asked if she could be provided with a bed, since she and her siblings slept on the floor of their tiny dwelling. So, she was given a double-deck bed. Now, Mary Rose sleeps comfortably in the lower bunk of her new bed, while her brothers take the upper bunk. And in a gesture of gratitude, Mary Rose’s mother gave Eddie Boy, Katrina and Jessa wind chimes that she made herself.

John Elrod Gabaya’s wish to see Disneyland is currently being worked out. If things push through, he and his family will be flown to Orlando or Tokyo for the trip of his life.

Christine Joy Fungo was not as fortunate as the three children. She passed away last December and never lived to see her wish granted. To ease the pain and burden of her loved-ones, philstar.com, along with other companies, gave them a small amount of money to cover some of the expenses incurred during her treatment.

Despite the very sad, although painfully real, event of Christine Joy’s death, the work with MAWF proved truly worthwhile. The enthusiasm and cooperation of MAWF, with the companies and all the individuals who participated, bore fruit. Although there are still many children who need help, there are at least two little girls and one little boy (if his trip to Disneyland pushes through), who are happier and more confident that dreams do, after all, come true.

As Katrina puts it, " If these kids are strong enough to live their day-to-day lives with such faith and patience, how much more we, who are healthy? We should really learn to appreciate life and count our blessings. To me, it was a very enriching experience. I’d like to do it again."

The Make-A-Wish Foundation Philippines holds office at Unit 108 Narra Building 2276 Pasong Tamo Extension, Makati City. You may call them at telephone numbers 817-73-87 and 817-73-95 or send them e-mail at edb800@mnl.sequel.net. Pledges, donations or any form of support are most welcome.