MENDING BROKEN DREAMS
IN FEBRUARY 2010, THE VILLAGERS OF MALUSO town in Basilan province in Mindanao got caught in the middle of violent conflict. Kimberly Pascua and her entire family took refuge in their small bathroom, but there was no escaping the fire that consumed their nipa hut.
On that night, she lost her mother, two siblings and both her legs. Kimberly wished she hadn’t survived. “I had big dreams before everything was taken away from me; but how could I chase a dream when I could not even stand,” recalled the then 13-year-old.
Months later, Kimberly and her four-year-old cousin Christian Laping, who suffered the same injuries, received financial assistance that enabled them to undergo surgery and walk on artificial limbs. But as they grew, their bones developed and in just five years, they needed a series of specialized medical interventions to continue using prosthetic legs.
“There was no way we could afford it,” said Kimberly’s legal guardian and aunt Jessica Laping. “Just as we were about to give up, The House of Jubilee referred us to Tebow CURE Hospital in Davao City.”
Kimberly and Christian were among the first patients to receive surgical treatment at the Tebow CURE Hospital in Davao City. The six-story state-of-the-art facility was formally inaugurated last May. It specializes in pediatric orthopedics and provides treatment to patients from low-income families in Mindanao.
“Most of the people we are dealing with are poor. They have lived with these disabilities and there is a stigma associated with it. They don’t have access to care and some just give up; so we are trying to turn that on its head,” said Tebow CURE Hospital executive director Leron Lehman.
The hospital is named after American football quarterback Timothy Richard Tebow, whose parents served as missionaries in Mindanao. Its establishment was made possible through the Tim Tebow Foundation’s partnerships with CURE International, International Care Ministries, Sacred Harvest Foundation, the Philippines’ Department of Health and the US embassy Manila’s United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
“The US government is proud to support efforts that improve and increase access to health services in the Philippines, especially for children who are survivors of conflict,” USAID mission director Gloria Steele said. “Giving these children a chance to have a better quality of life will enable them to pursue more opportunities, unlocking their potential to help end the cycle of poverty in underserved communities in Mindanao.”
In Washington, USAID’s Office of American Schools and Hospitals Abroad (ASHA) has allocated about P16.6 million ($379,000) for vital medical equipment to support Tebow CURE Hospital operations. This includes computers, imaging and operating room equipment such as cautery machines and syringe infusion pumps, that are comparable with equipment in tertiary hospitals in the United States.
“We are grateful for the strong support from the community, our donors and other partners to make this project a reality,” said Lehman. “We already provide life-changing surgeries to children with physical disabilities and are excited about the opportunity to make a difference.”
The hospital aims to conduct 500 surgeries and cater to 1,500 outpatients every year to address treatable conditions such as clubfoot and spinal deformities.
While most patients are children, the hospital also attends to adults. “I have always wanted to wear a pair of shoes just like everyone else. I can enjoy that now,” said 47-year-old Ariel Solis, who had clubfoot before he was treated at the Tebow CURE Hospital. The surgery he underwent would have cost P88,000 ($2,000). The father of five, who earns just a little over minimum wage, would not have been able to afford this type of treatment.
The Tebow CURE approach to healing also integrates services and amenities that help patients restore their self-worth. “About 75 percent of our kids are bullied at school. They get called names and are laughed at. They do not love themselves. It is important to reassure them that they are precious and loved,” said hospital spiritual director Madel Dapit.
Now in recovery, Kimberly, now 18, has reclaimed her dreams and is determined to take a step to make it a reality.
“I want to return to my hometown in Basilan one day and see development rather than insurgency. I want to stand on my feet again and sing to people because that is my way of inspiring them not to lose hope,” she said.
USAID’s ASHA program assists schools, libraries and medical centers outside the United States that serve as study and demonstration centers for American ideas and practices. Since 1947, ASHA has assisted more than 250 institutions in over 70 countries and currently manages a worldwide portfolio of more than 100 awards.