In this world, the greatest love that is beyond our comprehension and immeasurable are parents’ love towards their child. Even how ugly the child is but to the eyes of his or her parents, he or she could be the most beautiful child. They will do everything for the sake of their child. This reminds me of a story of a Little Princess that I met eleven years ago after I came back to Surigao del Sur after my Residency Training at National Children’s Hospital in Quezon City. 

                Mr. and Mrs. Jesnar Boquil were very excited to learn that Mrs. Lilian Boquil was pregnant for their first baby. She had her regular prenatal check-up at Barangay Health Station manned by licensed midwife. But she was deprived of a more sophisticated gadget such as Ultrasound that was nowhere to be found here in Tandag, Surigao del Sur. You have to travel first to Butuan City or Davao City just for a simple ultrasound because we don’t have Radiologist at that time.

                  At the day of delivery of their Little Princess, their excitement was dash off with ice cold and as if the whole world crumpled upon them when they saw their Little Princess. Their Little Princess had congenital anomaly known as Congenital Meningoencephalocoele. It suddenly became a talk of the town to have weird looking or monster-like baby. All of the hospital staffs from Doctors to Janitors told them to just accept the reality and anyway the child would not live that long because of her predicament. But despite of the negative feedbacks that they got, the parents especially the mother, Lilian, were really determined to have their child seen by a Specialist.

                Despite of the initial setback, they still kept on thinking on what will be their next move. One day they decided to ask help from then Vice Governor Johnny Ty Pimentel. When Vice Governor Pimentel saw the patient, he was really shock to see Princess in such condition. He went out of his way. He went to the office of then Provincial Health Officer Cesar N. Pagaran and asked for suggestion on what could be done to Princess. Dr. Pagaran called me up and asked for a meeting with Vice Governor Pimentel, Mr. and Mrs. Jesnar Boquil (the parents) and himself present. They asked my opinion. I told them to bring the patient to National Children’s Hospital and I would try my best to help the child and just prepare all the documents.                   Vice Governor Johnny Pimentel provided them their transportation allowance in going to Manila. I let them stay in our apartment that we and my wife were still maintaining at that time. I personally asked the Medical Center Chief of National Children’s Hospital, Dr. Isabelita Vital-Gozon, Dr. Epifania Simbul, our consultant who became very close to me, and Dr Alfred Tan, the Neuro-Surgeon and the head of the Surgical team, to help the Little Princess and to facilitate the need of the child.

                  With God’s Guidance, the operation was a successful one. I provided them their boat fare on their way home. Until now they don’t know that I was the one who shouldered their transportation expense on their way home. Our family became very close friend up to these days. Princess is now a Grade VI Pupil at Bangsud Elementary School with full of hope and dreams. I could also say that partly I have done my share of in fulfilling the reason of my existence in this world.