As I was sorting out Joaqui's medical documents, I found these remains of our solicitation letter attached with his medical records and doctors' certificates 6 years ago. The time when we were trying to gather a huge amount of money for his first ever set of hearing aid.
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| January 2010 |
All the memories flashed back and made me so emotional when I remember how my husband and I almost begged different people and politicians for financial assistance.
Joaqui was only 3 years old then. He was speech delayed due to hearing impairment on both ears and because of his condition (Global Developmental Delay) which directly affected his speech ability. The struggle of gathering 158,000 pesos is really hard for a minimum-waged earner like us because he was also suffering from series of severe asthma attacks and has been confined to different hospitals around the town. We were down and out during those days and the pressure of providing for all his medications, treatments and therapies have made us so desperate to do everything even if it means swallowing our pride and accepting other people’s criticism is the only solution to provide for our son’s needs. We made a promise that we will do whatever it takes for the sake of our son, Joaqui.
We photocopied all the documents, made a request letter with Joaqui’s pictures on it and put them inside the envelope. We started soliciting from friends, relatives and co-workers. My husband also gave the envelopes to the managers of the restaurants and we were so grateful to all the crew who chipped in and personally handed back the envelopes to us. I went to different government offices and underwent the process to be qualified for financial grants.
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| January 2010 |
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| January 2010 |
Everything that we have been through is not easy. There was a time when I’m absentmindedly crossing the road and a vehicle almost hit me without me knowing. My husband had a break down in one of the restroom’s cubicle at work. I’m telling you, that was one of the darkest moments of our lives.
All the sleepless nights, lost of appetite, depression, and all the pity, criticisms, harsh words, rejections that we've had from other people are all worth it. We may not be able to acquire the total amount from solicitations alone, but we managed to borrow some from different lending agencies. We have fulfilled our goal for our son and we are proud of everything that we have done.
We are thankful to all the people who helped us and to all the people who prayed for us. Up to this point in time, our hearts are still overwhelmed with gratitude and happiness that we were able to experience God's greatest miracle of showing us that everything is possible with Him.
And today, after six years, his doctor recommended for a hearing aid upgrade that may cost us a lot.... AGAIN.
It is a digitally programmable apparatus that best suits Joaqui’s recent needs (according to his latest hearing test) that is worth 35,000 each. That makes 70,000 for both ears. May be cheaper than before but better specs. Thanks to the revolution of digital technology.
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| June 2016 |
Today marks as day one. We are making a solicitation letter, gathering the necessary documents and preparing for the battle again. We may be able to repeat the same process again, we may be able to go through the same situation once again, but I know, this time...we are more equipped with strength, courage and most importantly faith.
We are certain that the Lord will guide us all throughout our journey and he will touch other people's hearts. We do not have to be afraid, because God will provide everything we need.
#AnythingForJoaqui
“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
---Philippians 4:13
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