Mary Reign Felice Fernandez is willing to barter her treasured ice skates which were bought by her dad before he passed away, to help his asthmatic brother.
CEBU CITY, Philippines— A young girl has a unique and touching way of helping her sibling’s medical needs. She’s willing to let go of one of her most cherished treasures.
Mary Reign Fernandez, 12, from V. Rama Cebu, is one of the many hopefuls who joined Cebu Barter Community in the hopes of helping her older brother Jean Francois, 14, better his medical condition.
“My brother is asthmatic and since we live on the third floor of our apartment with ongoing construction, I decided to barter my ice skates with a humidifier for my brother,” said Fernandez.
Fernandez who started ice skating when she was still 9 years old said that letting go of her ice skates is like letting go of something with huge emotional value to her.
“It was my dad who bought me my skates, but when he died last 2017 we never really had the chance to go back to the ice rink, and so I decided to trade my treasure,” she added.
Fernandez’s father, Rey Philip Fernandez, took his own life inside their home due to depression, leaving behind his three kids, Jean Francois, 14, Mary 12, and Mandy, 4 and wife Joregina, who works as an events organizer.
Fernandez posted her treasured skates on CBC on June 5 saying that she is willing to barter her ice skates for a humidifier for her brother who is asthmatic. She also shared the story behind her ice skates.
A lot of CBC members were touched by Fernandez’s sacrifice for her brother and one of them is a local fashion designer, Lems Tan.
Tan reached out to Fernandez on the same day of her posting and told her to keep her skates as he is willing to give his old humidifier for her brother.
“I did that because I felt bad at her having to give up a memory of her father in exchange for accepting a sad reality that sometimes life is really hard for all of us. And as responsible adults, it is our duty to show children the good side of the Filipino community,” said Tan.
Now, Fernandez is beyond ecstatic for having to keep one of her treasures while helping her brother at the same time through her act of selflessness. /rcg