God is really good. Below is a column about hannah's fund-raising activity. Thank you so much Ms. Cathy for a very moving and encouraging article. winner! anyway, if you want to be a part of the 100 very nice people to bless Hannah with a ventilator, please email at hannahshundred@gmail.com. thank you and God bless you!
Fundraising race for Hannah Cordviz
By Cathy S. Babao-Guballa
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 23:52:00 10/18/2008
MANILA, Philippines - A month ago, I wrote about the case of Hannah Ysabel Cordviz in this column. I found out about Hannah through my friend Rapa Lopa who spearheads the I am Ninoy campaign. Hannah is a 1-year-old girl afflicted with Congenital Central Hypoventilation
Syndrome (CCHS). CCHS patients are expected to lead long and productive lives provided they get the care and necessary medical equipment required for their day-to-day existence. The syndrome occurs in one out of every one million newborn babies.In the Philippines, there are only three known cases of CCHS; the eldest is now 3 years old.
A ventilator is crucial to Hannah’s survival. Her parents, Carlo and Joann are steeped in debt that everything they make now all go into paying hospital bills. They had to quit their jobs to care for her 24/7. A portable ventilator costs P750,000. You can read more about their family’s story on http://hannahysabelle.multiply.com. When I first wrote about Hannah, my blogmate and friend, Tessa Mendoza Cruz, a physical therapist based in Atlanta, distributed letters to
ventilator suppliers in the United States. We prayed for someone to donate a unit or sell it to us at a substantial discount. And God answered our prayers in a really big way! So, Tessa, Rapa and myself split the anticipated cost and did our own fundraising. Hannah’s Hundred
On the eve of my birthday, I launched Hannah’s Hundred, a 5K run that I plan to join on Nov. 23. I will be running in a race sponsored by Unicef, aptly titled Walk On The Child’s Side.
It was my coach, Rio de la Cruz who egged me to join this event. There are also a 2K walk for families and 5K and 10K races. The events will be held at the McKinley Hill in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig and participants may register at ROX on Bonifacio High Street. Now, I am no true-blue runner. As of this writing, I have only ran a measly 3K race. I do not expect to win this race, but Hannah is my motivation to run to the best of my ability. So how does Hannah’s Hundred work?
I am looking for at least 100 individuals who will pledge P1,000 pesos each for the race I will join. Roughly, that is P200 per kilometer since I am entering the 5K category. Each person who donates P1,000 will be entitled to a raffle ticket.
What do you win? A beautiful watercolor painting (17 x 23) called “Hannah” donated by the generous and talented architect and visual artist Joven Ignacio. By 10 p.m. on my birthday
last Thursday, I had hit the half-way mark for my target. I know that in God’s time, I will eventually reach it. I know that times are difficult but one lesson I have learned over the last few years is when we find the courage to go beyond ourselves, when we step out of the shadow of our own sadness, financial difficulties or whatever problem you have, it is then that the burden lifts and we feel braver and more optimistic about our circumstances. It has always been
in giving and placing a cause greater than ourselves that we become
more fulfilled.
If you want to be a part of Hannah’s Hundred, please e-mail me at HannahsHundred@gmail.com
Excess funds collected by Rapa, Tessa and myself will be donated to Hannah’s parents to help defray the cost of her medical expenses. The raffle will be held after the race, the first week of December.
URL for the newspaper article: http://showbizandstyle.inquirer.net/lifestyle/lifestyle/view/20081018-167171/Fundraising-race-for-Hannah-Cordviz
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