Magical memories

MANILA, Philippines - People are transformed by grief in many different ways. Some get overwhelmed and sadly continue to languish in their misery. Gladly, others transcend from their unfortunate experience by reaching out, hoping to alleviate the sufferings inflicted by terminal illness or unbearable tragedy.

Jackee Gullas-Weckman, a scion of the well known family of educators, has experienced unfathomable sorrow. She lost her only son Kyle – then 14 years old – in an unfortunate accident while on a class field trip. To keep Kyle’s memory alive, Jackee painstakingly renovated and refurbished a vacant room at the Vicente Sotto General Hospital. She furnished it with children’s books and educational toys and all the other gadgets and playthings that they would need and want. Since then, the playroom has been a haven for many young kids with terminal cancer.

Jackee belongs to the closely-knit 1978 batch of high school graduates from St. Theresa’s College Cebu. Her classmates often get together with Jackee and they reminisce about their childhood and the fun times they shared. Halloween stands out among their beautiful memories. It was a great time to don bizarre costumes, let their hair down, exchange scary ghost stories and generally have a good time. And for the young ones, trick or treat – the highlight of the celebration – is an annual trip to go around and visit the neighborhood, eagerly knocking on doors for that expected bag of surprise goodies.

They thought, why not recreate that wonderful experience for children stricken with cancer so that they may forget their afflictions and pain even for just a few hours? Once the plan was broached and voted upon, they busily set to work. Paradise Village was the venue of choice. Annette Mendezona, a resident, approached the Board of Directors of the area’s association and obtained their approval to invite some 25 kids with terminal cancer to join the trick or treat at the exclusive neighborhood. Funds needed to be raised as only children of residents can join the activity for free. Others, mostly from other gated villages, are allowed to participate for a fee. And they did in no time.

The search for Halloween costumes began as the great majority of the guests would come in every imaginable ghoulish getup. The enterprising classmates tapped the Clothes for Life Foundation, an association of some of the more prominent fashion designers of the city. The couturiers, who are always ready to participate in these charitable endeavors, delivered the custom-made attires.

To find the 25 children, the ladies sought the assistance of Shalom Rea Bernales,  Child Life Officer of Kythe Inc. in Cebu. The organization is a support group that provides psycho-social services to kids with cancer and their families. For 20 years now, it has run its Child Life Program in 13 hospital-based chapters all over the Philippines with 11 in Luzon, one in Cebu for the Visayas, and one in Davao for Mindanao. Together, they chose from among young patients from five Cebu hospitals, namely Perpetual Succor Hospital, Chong Hua Hospital, Cebu Doctor’s Hospital, Velez Hospital, and Vicente Sotto General Hospital.

The trick or treat activity fit in well with Kythe’s mission of alleviating the plight of cancer-stricken children. The organization believes that the best way to do this is to enter their world through play, in the belief that kids best communicate their hurts and fears and their happiness in this manner. Kythe also helps the patients and their families cope by educating them about their illnesses, assists them as they go through the rigors of their medical procedures and provide emotional support during times of grief. They have also provided financial support for medicine and their chemotherapy sessions. 

On the day itself, a van brought the special children to Paradise Village. From 5:30 to 7 p.m., they went from house to house, pumpkin pail in hand. Some came as fairies, there were elves, angels, a clown, and a few dressed as their favorite superheroes. For the duration of the trick or treat, the kids were transported from their dreary hospital beds, forgot about painful chemotherapy and radiation treatments and anticipated the surprises in those bags of treats. The area’s young residents happily blended with their guests and gave them a good time. After the activity, they partook of a sumptuous dinner at the Mendezona residence.

The smiles of the children brought great joy to Jackee and her classmates. As they watched them interact with kids of the village, they realized that the greatest happiness can come not only from sharing material things but more so from giving young people with cancer a respite from their pain and suffering with memories of one magical Halloween night.