We are now back in the Paranaque and Manila area. Yesterday we had the good fortune of being reunited with one of the recipients from our initial delivery last Sunday. The middle aged man was getting around very well. He had come to witness two boys from his community getting their wheelchairs. The boys were not able to come last Sunday so we made a trip to their community to deliver them. The pictures of the two boys are enclosed below.
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| A seventeen year old young man afflicted with epilepsy. |
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| So small for eight years old, but so appreciative of his wheelchair. |
We also had the opportunity to visit one of the local hospitals in a neighbourhood where the people would not have the ability to pay for the services. One of our hosts is the hospital administrator. Less than eight percent of the patients can pay anything for the services that are provided. The level of medical funding and supplies is much below what we would expect in Canada. However, the level of caring and dedication of staff was inspirational.
Our final wheelchair delivery was to a homeless middle aged man who lives on the generosity of the members of his Catholic parish family. Our hosts commented that this would be our most important delivery of the day. This recipients constant smile, upbeat outlook and humble but independent nature has allowed him to overcome the challenges of living with polio. See below for a picture of this gracious man.
I am so thankful that this blogspot has been created because it enables us to follow the progress of the Hope on Wheels Project. As a member of RC Paranaque Southwest that led-hosted the wheelchair distribution, this is the first time I have seen up close the face of a person transform from one expressing despair to another showing happiness, gratitude, and hope, upon receiving a brand new wheelchair, that will add mobility, restore self-reliance and dignity--all these feelings likewise evident on the face of the family members. The benefits that the wheelchairs bring will extend not only to the recipients and their families but to the whole community as well.
ReplyDeleteAs for me, having witnessed first hand the huge impact of the project to the lives of so many people gives me the strong desire to do my share, in however small way I can, to help improve lives, especially of the less able, through the RCPSW or any other opportunity to serve.