Donations start to trickle for burnt kids

Mother’s Love. Rowena Simbajon tries to kiss away her 2-year-old son, Matthew Justin’s pain. Mary Irene, Rowena’s 6-year-old daughter is also confined in the Cebu City Medical Center for severe burns sustained in the Dec. 14 fire in barangay Parian. (Tonne Despojo)

AN anonymous donor gave P1,000 cash yesterday to the family of the two young fire victims who are confined at Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC) after reading about their plight in Cebu Daily News.

The donor had read the story of the Simbajon children and sent the money through a woman who visited the children yesterday morning at the hospital.

Dioscora Simbajon, 60, the grandmother of the Simbajon siblings, said they were told that the donor took pity on the children after reading the human interest piece in this paper.

Rowena, the 24-year-old mother of the Simbajon siblings, is happy that they are starting to receive financial assistance. She remains hopeful that more kindhearted individuals will help as Matthew Justin and Mary Irene need more medicine in their fight to recuperate.

Her entire savings of P15,000 from working at a food processing company was expended on the hospitalization of her two children who sustained second degree burns in the fire that hit their boarding house in barangay Pari-an two weeks ago.

Rowena’s father, a farmer in Cabanglasan, Bukidnon, had sent them a little amount but this, too, was used up.

Dr. Sharie T. Angsa, the children’s pediatrician, said that the possibility of another set of medication might be prescribed depending on the children’s response to their present medication.

Mary Irene also needs a blood transfusion this week after being diagnosed anemic.

Furthermore, the two children need to have their wounds regularly cleansed and dressed. This has to be carried out in a sterile room. Dr. Angsa recommends that the procedure be carried out in the operating room, saying, “The dressing should be done in the operating room since it is very painful because it involves the dressing of their whole body and they need general anesthesia.”

Dr. Angsa added that the dressing of the wounds should be done twice a week to prevent infection.

Unfortunately, the Simbajon siblings cannot avail of the City Hospitalization Assistance and Medicines Program (Champ) that includes medicines, laboratory and hospitalization because their mother Rowena is not a registered voter in Cebu City.

“To those want to donate and help the siblings, they can come and visit the hospital and we can sign the receipt and prescribed medicines for proof,” Dr. Angsa told CDN, adding that the children need medicine for infection control, dressings and nutrition.