It is unfortunate that I am not wealthy. Had I been blessed with abundant finances, I would have helped so many people in need. Always, it pains my heart when fellow Filipinos whom I have not even met personally, will send me emails asking for financial aids for a sick child or for college education. It pains me deep when I can only help few people at a time. Because the truth is, the money I used to help and to get students to and through college comes from my own pocket.
A couple of months ago, I posted a Facebook status saying that one of the students under the Salas Scholarship had graduated in college. Little did I know that the posting will inspire a former student of mine. Requesting to remain anonymous, he offered to help by sponsoring someone’s four-year college education through the Salas Scholarship. For that, I commend my friend for his kind heart.
I will continue to help in the best way I can — even if it means just helping one person at a time. Quoting Mother Teresa, “If you cannot feed a hundred people, then feed just one.”
Here are two emails I received via the Salas Foundation website. They’re both coming from Cebuanos. I am replacing the real names with initials to protect their identities.
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Dear Sir/Madam,
Please help our daughter JLJ hear better and have a better future ahead of her. We sincerely hope you can help us give this opportunity to her.
JLJ is a great blessing from God. Bubbly and full of laughter, JLJ’s presence can lighten up the day of people around her. Her smile and warm embrace can make a dull moment in our day a sunny one. A very sweet, thoughtful and caring little girl, we hope JLJ grows up carrying such a pleasant disposition.
JLJ was diagnosed to have bilateral hearing loss (severe-to-profound) at the age of 2 when she was evaluated for speech delay. Upon learning this we immediately started on hearing aid habilitation and auditory-verbal speech therapy. After more than a year of therapy we noted improvement in her speech and language development. However, subsequent audiometric examination showed that her hearing aids could not provide adequate stimulation in the high frequencies. Upon examination, JLJ is found to be an ideal candidate for habilitation with the implantation of a cochlear device (cochlear implant) in both ears.
According to her doctor, the cochlear implant may provide electrical stimulation to the hearing nerve of her inner ear and cochlea in the range of speech frequencies that the hearing aids currently do not provide. We believe having cochlear implantation is her ticket to better hearing now and forever, and thus will help secure a better future for herself. As parents we would want to give her this chance. However, given our current financial limitations we fear we may not be able to afford her one. Our combined income as a teacher and as a government employee would not suffice to provide her with cochlear implantation given the cost of the device. The device plus the operation would cost us more than a million pesos for one ear (and more than two million for both ears).
JLJ is now attending a regular pre-school, her first step towards learning about the world around her and the people she could make contact with. It is our hope and dream that she’ll be able to grow up like any other normal kid who would dream one day of becoming a lawyer, a doctor or even an astronaut. We definitely want her to become independent and confident that she will be able to make it through in her life. Any other parents would want this for their kids.
We have started efforts to obtain some assistance hoping to secure cochlear implantation for JLJ in the very near future. Any amount or help that you could extend is most welcome.
Please help us give a gift of hearing to our dearest JLJ.
Sincerely,
JJ & MJ
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From: JA <____@yahoo.com>
Subject: Application for scholarship
Dear Salas Foundation:
I am JA is really in need of your scholarship program, with the scholarship it might change our family’s status. Due to financial crisis, I cant finish my schooling in college and i am still hoping that someone would help me. I live in Lapu Lapu City Cebu.
Thanks and God bless you.
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If you are reading this and you are inspired to help, let me know. Let us make life better for other people.
