Shaira's Story

My official title is something long and obnoxious like Food for the Hungry Philippines Intern – Documenter/Success Story Writer. I wish I hade business cards so I could show it off. But while I may write stories about the successes of FH, my interviews aren’t always about success. This week I got to interview a young woman who was sponsored in her studies the whole way up through her senior year of high school. Despite having the funding to attend school, she dropped out just months shy of graduation to get married. Although we can hope she learned some valuable things from her time in the church, in school, and with FH, it’s hard to call this a success.

This was in the context of an entire community of squatters that had just been forcibly relocated about a year ago when the actual owner of the land they were living on came back to claim it. Although many of these families had been attending the partner church of FH, they were moved about 10km from the church, making transporting the whole family to and from church far too expensive for any of them to afford. This occurred within months of FH leaving the community after working there for 15 years. Sadly, the church missed the opportunity to plant a new church where it already had a number of members. None of the families I talked to were currently attending a church, as there are none to attend in the new squatter community. Many of them seemed to be struggling financially. I can’t imagine the emotional degradation of watching your home be demolished and being forced to start again from scratch. There was little hope to found in this community.

That’s why it’s nice when I actually get to interview successes. This week has been full of them, from students who graduated college on FH scholarships and are now working to a thriving church plant that is successfully combining a livelihood program of chicken-raising with their men’s ministry, the compadres (which is a sweet name, a great Filipino/Spanish pun). The church went from having one male member (lack of men is an issue in Filipino churches) to more than 40 active ones. The chicken raising program has gone from supporting 11 families with additional income to helping 28 with no additional capital. FH has phased out of this community, and the church is carrying on, striving towards their vision of developing both the physical and spiritual needs of its members and serving its community. Ahh, the sweet taste of hope.

Still, not many of the several hundred interviews I’ve conducted so far can compare with talking to Shaira Galang and her family. Both Michael and I got pretty teary, but our emotions could not compare with those of her parents as they told us her story. I thought this would be a good chance to share a little of what my stories look like. Forgive me if this is cheesy and reads like a newsletter, as that’s where it’s headed:

“We thought we were saying goodbye”. As Perseus and Jacinta Galang watched their daughter being wheeled into surgery, they did not expect her to come out again. Shaira had congenital heart disease and at eleven years old, open heart surgery was her last option.
Shaira was sponsored by Food for the Hungry when she was five. At her first annual medical checkup the doctors discovered a hole in her heart. The Galangs were initially scared and unsure of what to do, but FH helped Shaira get into a program of regular care at the Philippine Heart Center. Through the center Shaira was entered into a program to receive surgery at minimal cost. However, there were more than 600 patients in front of her awaiting surgery.
At this point, Shaira was visited by Rodney Rascona. Rodney is a professional photographer who has traveled the world, documenting the work of Food for the Hungry and donating his services and prints. When Rodney heard Shaira’s situation, he promised to try to find help.
Two years ago, with the help of a friend, Rodney sent the funds necessary for Shaira to get the operation without waiting. Shaira’s care was moved from the Philppine Heart Center to Philippine General Hospital in preparation. But Perseus and Jacinta weren’t sure about the surgery yet. They feared all of the preparation, the costs, and the impact on their family and five other children. But mostly, they feared for Shaira, knowing that not every heart operation is successful. So the surgery was delayed.
However, Shaira’s condition was not getting any better, and it wasn’t going to improve without surgery. She had gone from having one hole in her heart to two. The doctors began to caution that in a year, she would be beyond the point of operation. The Galangs were visited by a Food for the Hungry staff member, who urged them to proceed with surgery. A sponsor was already in place, and that might not be the case later. Hearing that their hesitation had made Shaira’s situation critical convinced Perseus and Jacinta that the surgery was necessary. Without it, the doctors warned, their daughter would not live to see the age of eighteen.
When the day of surgery arrived, the family was scared. At 9 am they said a tearful goodbye, afraid they would not see their little girl again. They spent the next five and a half hours praying with FH staff. When they saw Shaira again in the recovery room, already asking for something to eat, it was a moment filled with joy. It was hard to see her connected to so many machines and so weak from the surgery, but hearing the doctor say that she would be ok was the best news they ever received.
Since then, Shaira has returned to the hospital for post operation checkups and is doing well. FH is helping the family cover the costs of traveling to doctors’ appointments and Shaira’s medication. Soon she’ll be strong enough to return to school.
That’s incredible good news for two parents who did not think their daughter would survive surgery. Sending their daughter into surgery was “like saying goodbye”. But watching her come out again alright? “It was like winning the lottery” her father said. Motioning towards Shaira with tears in her eyes but laughter in her voice, her mother added, “and this is my prize!”

It’s not done yet, as it could use some revisions, and I’m hoping to get some more information about Rodney and the mystery donor (I think it might be his fiancée). And that story probably legally belongs to FH and is subject to international copyright or something, so no copying, as it probably doesn’t belong to me anymore. On another note, the whole story was amazing to hear, and it was wonderful to see Shaira up and doing well. It’s also easy to see why Rodney chose Shaira for his photos: