Neil Jed Castro lights candles after his prayers at the Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño in Cebu City. (CDN Photo/Apple Ta-as)
Neil Jed Castro only has one wish for his 22nd birthday on Wednesday this week.
Castro needs an operation that costs P100,000 to save his eyesight so he could see his parents and friends on graduation day in March 20.
A magna cum laude candidate at the University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJR), Castro was diagnosed with Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada (VKH) syndrome last February 7. Among its symptoms is blurring of vision.
“My only wish for graduation is to retain my vision. Ako na gisabot silang mama ug papa kung asa mo-lingkod para makit-an dayon nako sila igdawat nako sa diploma and award ug makita nako kung unsa sila ka proud (I told my mother and father where they would sit so I could see them clearly when I receive my diploma and award, and see how proud they are),” he said.
At present he often sees a rainbow halo whenever he walks.
He was advised by the doctor to take steroids.
Castro was referred to another clinic which specializes in VKH.
Despite the medicine prescribed to him, Castro said he was advised by his doctor to undergo an operation to prevent glaucoma which leads to permanent blindness.
“My doctor said I have to undergo the operation immediately since glaucoma’s effects are irreversible. It would be best to undergo the operation as soon as possible this early, before I develop tunnel vision,” he said.
Castro’s father is a construction worker while his mother is a housewife.
He said the two-week interval of checkups to monitor his condition was a problem as his finances were inadequate. He sometimes had to borrow money from classmates for the checkups.
“I don’t pay tuition because I’m a working scholar. Some of my classmates said I don’t have to render 36 hours of duty every week because I can avail of the free tuition because of my high grades,” he said.
But he insisted on applying in the working student program to free his family from paying miscellaneous fees as well.
Castro’s elder sister Jacquelou died at 19 due to a heart ailment in 2007.
“Usahay maka-ingon ko nga malas kaayo mi nga pamilya kay daghan kaayong sakit namo nanggawas (I sometimes think my family is burdened with bad luck because of the illnesses that we suffered),” he said.
He said his mother’s faith sustains him whenever he feels depressed.
Being the last surviving child in the family, Castro’s mother would often walk him to the jeepney stop on schooldays.
So far, Castro has managed to raise P8,000 cash for his eye operation from relatives and assistance from Vice Mayor Alfonso Lim of Medellin town, northern Cebu.