Written by Gian Carlo Abellana, RN*
It has been two years now since we huddled the stress,
deadlines, busy schedules and less night life in college. I can barely recall
sleeping for an hour and then prepare myself for another hectic day. A lot of
people say that college life is full of twists and turns- a great roller coaster ride.
One thing I would not forget when I was still in college
is being part of the pioneering members of the Volunteer Youth Leaders for
Health- Philippines (VYLH-Philippines). The said organization aims to mobilize
youth towards health advocacies and among these are: Newborn Screening, Folic
Acid Supplementation Campaign, and Rare or Orphan Disorders. VYLH is a network
of leaders from different youth organizations based in universities and communities in the country. As part of the network, I was able to organize an
information drive amongst my fellow students, imparting them awareness to such
health issues in our country today. Remarkably, I did gained support from my
classmates, friends, family, supervising clinical instructors, program
coordinators, program dean and the rest of the populace in my university with
my vision as a VYLH member.
Before I left the doorsteps of my Alma Mater, I wanted to
leave a legacy which I can bring about change and prove that as young as we are
we take part with different health dilemmas in our society.
In January 2010 “ I AM RARE, I AM LIMITED” – A Panel
Discussion on Rare or Orphan Disorders was organized. After being rescheduled
due to the cancelled flight of our keynote speaker from Manila because of a tropical
storm, nothing beat us for this to push through the second time
around. The event with
the theme: “ A pathway to support, resources and hope” was attended by a number of students and faculty members . Ms. Aster Lynn Sur, RN
from the Clinical Genetics Unit of the Institute of Human Genetics, National
Institutes of Health of the University of the Philippines- Manila (IHG, NIH-UP Manila) graced the
occasion as keynote speaker.
According to the Philippine Society For Orphan Disorders,
Inc. (PSOD), which is also a VYLH partner, children born with rare disorders may
appear normal at birth, only to develop problems later in life. Rare or orphan
disorders are conditions that affect less than 1 in 20,000 individuals. They
are life threatening, progressive, disabling conditions that require
multidisciplinary care. The lack of understanding of these disorders makes
these children at risk for serious consequences due to delay in and sometimes
incorrect diagnosis.
Other than the awareness and knowledge brought by the said
event, it also helped us realize the thought of equal access to health and
social services to those affected children. The whole University is in full
support for the signature campaign for a proposed law to be passed to support
those children in aiding their needs. And as evidence for the great success of
the “I AM RARE, I AM LIMITED” panel discussion, it has been awarded as Best Seminar Design for 2010
with undeniable good feedbacks from others.
As I scale on the new heights and letting my light shine
to the real world of life, I must say that my experience as a member of VYLH-Philippines
helped me a lot in different aspects of my personality and whole being. There
may be a lot of trials and criticism along the way by people who don’t believe
in our credibility, but that certainly made us stronger and continue to fight
back the battle. I may not be practicing my profession as a nurse right now,
but it’s not all about that, it’s how you live your life and touched the lives
of others committed to serve with passion.
_________________
*Gian Carlo Abellana is a licensed nurse and graduate of the Father Saturnino Urios University (FSUU) in Butuan City, Agusan del Norte. At present, Gian is a Customer Account Executive at Convergys Philippines Inc. - Cebu.
