One story was all it took.

When The Manila Bulletin published the plight of nine-year-old Rein Reyes in September 2016, it did more than tell of a child’s painful battle with acute myelogenous leukemia – it set in motion a wave of compassion that reached from ordinary readers to a former vice president, giving a struggling family time, dignity, and hope in the fight for a young boy’s life.

The story told of nine-year-old Rein Reyes, a child from Malabon whose rare disease caused severe complications, including cysts in his head that nearly forced his eyes to pop out. 

Night after night, Marymel said her son cried in pain that medicine could only briefly ease.

Rein’s parents – a housewife and a tricycle driver with no means to pay for his treatment –watched helplessly as their son quietly endured his suffering to spare them further burden.

Just a few days later, the impact of that story went beyond public sympathy.

After reading Rein’s plight in The Manila Bulletin, an angel in the form of former Vice President Jejomar Binay personally reached out to the boy’s mother and pledged to shoulder all of the child’s medical expenses.

“Nabasa daw po niya [Binay] sa diyaryo [Manila Bulletin] ang storya ng anak ko kaya pina-contact n’ya kami sa asstistant niyang si Rico. Nung ma-contact na po ako ni Rico, pinasa po niya agad kay dating Bise Presidente Binay ang phone. Gulat na gulat po ako nung makausap ko siya (He [Binay] said he read the story of my son in the newspaper [Manila Bulletin], which is why he instructed his assistant, Rico, to contact us. When Rico reached me, he immediately handed the phone to former Vice President Binay. I was completely shocked when I spoke to him),” Marymel recalled.

The call came at a time when the family had just returned from the hospital after Rein’s blood tests.

“Napahagulgol po ako sa sobrang tuwa. Noon po kasi ay kakagaling lang namin ni Rein sa hospital para ipa-check ang dugo niya. Unang naisip ko po ang Manila Bulletin. Sobrang nagpapasalamat po ako sa Manila Bulletin (I broke down in tears of joy. At that time, Rein and I had just come from the hospital after having his blood checked. The first thing that came to my mind was the Manila Bulletin. I am deeply grateful to the Manila Bulletin),” she added.

Binay arranged for Rein’s admission to the Ospital ng Makati, assuring the family that hospitalization, treatment, and access to specialists would be fully covered.

“When he (Binay) asked me about the condition of my son, I told him that my son needs an isolation room since his immune system got weak because of his disease. He then told me that he’ll admit Rein at the Ospital ng Makati (OSMAK),” Marymel said in Filipino.

The story also stirred compassion among readers from all walks of life. Marymel said donations poured in from people the family had never met – kindness that gave them renewed strength to continue the fight.

For months, Rein battled his illness with quiet courage, enduring chemotherapy and long hospital stays. 

He was briefly allowed to go home in December 2016, delighting in the chance to see his siblings and relatives after months of confinement. 

But in February 2017, Rein was again rushed back to the hospital, marking the start of what doctors described as his final and hardest battle.

On March 4, 2017, after nearly a year of fighting, Rein died while undergoing treatment. He was laid to rest days later in Malabon.

“Rein is now in a place where there is no more pain,” Marymel said.

Many of the people who had helped Rein after reading his story in The Manila Bulletin came to his funeral, some wearing white shirts printed with the boy’s face, a quiet testament to how far the story had reached.

Even in grief, Marymel chose to extend the same kindness her family received, donating Rein’s remaining medicines to other children battling leukemia.

“I want to give them the other medicines of Rein. I am doing this because I know how expensive these medicines are,” she said.

“My son fought for us and for the people who helped him. He wants to live but his body was already rejecting the medication.”

For Rein’s family, the story that once told of pain became a bridge to help, to compassion, and to dignity.

And for The Manila Bulletin, it stands as a reminder that journalism, at its best, does not end on the printed page. 

Sometimes, it reaches the right heart at the right moment, and changes lives, even if only for a while.