Explosion victim to get prosthetic legs

MANILA, Philippines - Law student Raissa Laurel has something to look forward to on her next birthday: prosthetic legs that would enable her to walk and perhaps run.

Yohei Sasakawa, chairman of the private, non-profit Nippon Foundation, visited Laurel, 23, in her room at the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) yesterday afternoon.

His promise is that when she turns 24 on April 23, 2011, she would have “very detailed, precise prosthetics for her legs…I will be back next year to give you your present,” Sasakawa, with the help of an interpreter, told Laurel.

“On her birthday next year, she would not only walk…she will run,” Sasakawa added.

It can be recalled that last Sept. 26, the last day of the Bar Examination at the De La Salle University, a fragmentation grenade exploded, injuring more than 40 people. Laurel sustained the most severe injuries, and both her legs were amputated.

Laurel said she was surprised when she received word that the chairman of Nippon Foundation would want to meet her.

“What happened to me was a tragedy. But so many blessings came and I have 100-percent support. Nippon promised to monitor the step-by-step development of my recovery,” Laurel said.

Today, she would undergo an operation called skin grafting. As part of her rehabilitation she would also have to strengthen her shoulders and arms, which would carry her weight. “It is a good thing that just before the accident, I was already going to the gym,” she said.

Last Sunday marked her third week of her confinement in the hospital. She tries to continue reading her law books and is eager to return to her old life and continue being a second-year Law student at the San Sebastian College.

Her only regret is that up to this time, the authorities have yet to come up with the name of the person behind the blast.

“I just hope that there would be no cover up as to who is the culprit,” she said. “I have already said that I have forgiven whoever was responsible for the explosion but justice should still prevail.”

She knows that while she was given the gift of a second life, her life has already altered and there are a lot of adjustments that have to be made. “But I am thankful to God that I had an easy time accepting my fate. Right after the blast, after seeing my legs, I knew that I would no longer be able to walk,” Laurel said.

Sasakawa was pleased that Laurel was strong and is looks at the future with a positive disposition. “She does not take it as a misfortune.”

The Nippon Foundation was established in 1962, for the purpose of carrying out philanthropic activities and Sasakawa made it his personal commitment to help those who are either born with a disability or were disabled due to disasters.

His commitment to help others was borne of his experiences when he was young. He recalled that he was seven years old when World War II broke out it was during that time when he saw 100,000 people die in just one night. There were others who were badly hurt.

“I survived this terrible war. Since then, my interest to help people who lost legs or arms…I have worked for decades in areas where government administration cannot reach out. I help in the medical treatment and rehabilitation, for them to get back to society,” he said.

One of Nippon’s projects in the Philippines is the leper colony in Culion, Palawan which was once called the Island of Despair, but now is an Island of Hope.