A one-month old baby boy, Vinz Emmanuel Balo, who is suffering from a congenital heart defect, received financial assistance from the Cebu Provincial Government for his immediate operation.
His father, Vincent Theodore Balo, 30, is an instructor of Cebu Normal University main campus, while his mother, Leah Balo, 31, is a housewife. Both of them hail from Bantayan town in northern Cebu.
Vincent said the baby is their first child. His wife gave birth last Dec. 16 at St. Vincent Hospital.
The baby was fine at first but four days later, the baby suddenly contracted pneumonia. It was then discovered that Vinz has a hole in his heart.
“At first, pagpanganak gisud man siya sa nursery kay gamay man kaayo siya, less than two kilograms. Actually normal ra gyud kaayo siya then after four days na-surprise na lang me gi oxygen na man siya. Unya maglisod siyag ginhawa and nagduda man pud ang doctor nga basig nay problema sa iyaha heart maong nataptan siya ug pneumonia. So mao to gi 2D echo. Nakita jud nga naay bangag (The baby was put in the nursery after birth because he was very small, weighing only less than two kilograms. Actually he was normal but after four days we were surprised to see him connected to an oxygen to aid his breathing. Sensing that Vinz has a heart problem, a 2D Echo was performed and a hole was found in Vinz’s heart,” Vincent said.
One-month old Vinz Emmanuel Balo gets financial assistance from the Cebu provincial government to facilitate immediate surgery. (CONTRIBUTED)
Vincent added that after a series of medical tests, the baby was diagnosed with a congenital heart disease. Baby Vinz was then referred to Cebu Doctor’s University Hospital for further assessment.
Vincent cried saying “Guol kaayo mi nga murag wala na mi pag-asa niya. Sige ato na lang huwaton siguro nga mawala siya. Gi-out namo siya. Actually pag-out namo mas sakit magtan-aw sa amo bata gud nga ingun ani iyaha sitwasyon.
Daman-damanon mi. Murag molagom sa among panan-aw kun ubhon. Mao to ni decide na lang mi nga ipa opera, although risgo gihapon kay conditional man iyaha state (We were very sad and seemed to be losing hope. We decided to just wait until the baby dies. We took him out of the hospital but took pity on him, seeing his condition. He seemed to turn blue whenever he coughs. That’s why we decided to have the baby undergo surgery despite the risk).”
Baby Vinz stayed at St. Vincent Hospital for 26 days and three days at Cebu Doctors University Hospital. He is now admitted at Perpetual Succour Hospital and is scheduled to undergo an operation this week.
The baby’s heart surgery will cost at least P800,000.
“The doctor said that the operation will cost up to P1 million but with at least P800,000 mapadayon ang surgery (the surgery will proceed) then i-bypass pod ang amo baby,” Vincent said.
The father added that the condition of their child will normalize if the operation is successful.
The family still needs assistance since their personal money and PhilHealth insurance were already spent during the admission of their baby.
The Cebu provincial government, through the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office, already gave financial assistance to cover a portion of the expenses.
The Balo couple was fortunate that one of Vincent’s students at CNU referred them to the Cebu provincial government for possible assistance.
“Magpasalamat mi ni (We thank) Governor Hilario P. Davide III ug sa mga tawo behind sa program. Blessed pod kaayo mi nga naa ang (and the people behind the program. We are so blessed to have the) Cebu provincial government nga ma push through ang operation sa bata (that the operation will push through),” Balo said.
They are still hoping to raise the remaining amount and praying for the success of the child’s operation. /Contributed by Lee Dela Cerna
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