MEDIUM RARE
Jullie Y. Daza
When things go wrong, you wring your hands or you use them to “ease the situation.”
In the time of the great pandemic, when those who are not in perfect health are considered highly vulnerable to the novel coronavirus, how are the sick and young residents of ChildHaus doing?
By the grace of God, they’re carrying on with spunk and fortitude --not a single piece of bad news to dishearten the “angels” who donate money, time, and resources to help them heal. ChildHaus’ two houses in Quezon City and Manila were SM Prime’s Hans Sy’s contribution to “Mother” Ricky Reyes’ project that has saved around 16,000 cancer-stricken children.
The mortality rate has been low. The heart-filling stories of cancer survivors don’t surprise the volunteers and donors anymore. One girl is a scholar in Hans’ National University, another is now a fullfledged social worker. To thank Hans and the angels, now christened “Dream Keepers,” the children of ChildHaus sang their hearts out during a virtual performance to wish Hans 65 more happy years. In the hall that was once a cafeteria in one of the massive buildings in SM MOA, Hans expressed his birthday wish, that the pandemic will rally everyone to help “ease the situation and bring hope to our young so that they may look forward to life.”
For example, he said, SM employees continue to receive their salaries. Besides providing the children with a roof over their heads, Hans continues to “hold up his friends” (as Ricky put it) for funds to keep ChildHaus going, three meals a day, 365 days a year. Among those cited for their big hearts and deep pockets “since the beginning” 17 years ago were Galo Lim, Homer So, Serge Yu, Macario Gaw Jr., Isabelita Mercado, Ped Feytaren Jr., Ellen Francisco, Janet Cu, Melissa Chua, Darling de Jesus. Writing checks, supplying meals and drinking water, paying Meralco bills, providing soap, detergent, cooking oil, disinfectants, etc., they are the wheels that keep the engine of compassion turning smoothly.
When the lockdown kept 50 children from coming home to ChildHaus for their treatment cycles, Hans and his group arranged shuttle services to transport them to the nearest doctor or clinic, to ease the situation. All in a day’s work.