During the research stage of our project, Claus met with the Dela Cruz family at their home in San Isidro. It was during this meeting that Claus noticed something was wrong with the second youngest child, Janet. She had blue lips and was quite lethargic. She's seen standing next to Claus in this image and wears a pretty solemn look on her face.
We had Janet flown to Manila to be examined by specialists at The Philippine Heart Centre. It was confirmed that she had a congenital heart defect, tetralogy of fallot. Often a prognosis like that would end up fatal for a person in Janet's position, the surgery required is not cheap and when you live well below the poverty line, it's just not affordable.
We decided we were going to help Janet and began raising funds to pay for the heart surgery she would soon desperately need.
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During the months leading up to Claus meeting the family, Janet had developed a persistent, nagging cough that she couldn't shake. Concerns grew that it could be an infection in her lungs. It came as no surprise though as the living conditions the family faces are difficult at best. This image is a look into the interior of their home. Their mother Evelyn and the 5 children all live in this tiny, dirt floored home that runs without electricity. When the rainy season hits the floor becomes wet and muddy. Hardly the conditions needed to recover from illness.
When the time comes, we will end up building the family a new, better home. One with electricity and a proper floor. That will have to wait though.
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Janet was diagnosed with tetralogy of fallot, an often fatal heart defect. It essentially means she has a hole in her heart. Fifty percent of children born with it aren't expected to live to their first birthday. Ninety percent aren't expected to live to the age of 10.
When this image was taken Janet was nearing her 9th birthday and her health was deteriorating quickly. She was very skinny, had little to no energy, and had to be carried around because she was so weak.
She is seen here waiting patiently to be examined by her heart specialist in Manila.
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Dr. Wilberto Lopez sits at his crowded desk reviewing Janet's medical records. In his hands rests an x-ray that will help determine the cause of a cough Janet has been battling for several months.
We're unsure how many lives he has saved over his lengthy career, but in a few months Dr. Lopez will save another, Janet will have successful open-heart surgery.
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The result of Janet's chest x-ray to determine the origin of a cough that had been plaguing her for months. The concern was that she had tuberculosis and that it would take up to 6 months to clear the infection. As absurd as it sounds, we were relieved to find out she had pneumonia and that the recovery would take half as long.
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A trip to the dentist was new to Janet, but it's a necessary step. The mouth serves as a sort of highway to the heart, so it's important there are no infections or bacteria that could travel through her blood and complicate the surgery.
Janet has seen more needles and doctors in the last week than in her entire life, so she was brave, but a little hesitant at first. Luckily today was only an examination.
Tougher days are sure to follow, but in the end they will clear the way for her return to a normal childhood.
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Janet will need to have 11 teeth removed before her heart surgery to ensure she has no infections. Luckily most of them are baby teeth and she will recover just fine.
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It took a few months, but Janet was able to clear the pneumonia and have the dental surgery, which then left the final step, the open-heart surgery. Here she is moments before heading into the operating room. You can see a hint of nerves, but she handled it like a champ.
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After a 5 hour operation, we got the call that Janet's surgery was a success. The mixed bag of emotions was overwhelming. Joy, relief, and elation combined to create huge smiles and incredible happiness.
This was the first time some of us had seen Janet smile and it was invigorating.
She will need to spend 3 weeks in the hospital being monitored before she can be released, but the worst is now behind her.
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It was a long road getting here, but that smile speaks volumes. After 3 weeks of recovery Janet was given the all-clear and walked out of the hospital.
In a phone call with her aunt it was revealed that Janet was getting back to normal. She had lots of energy and was being naughty. She was acting like a typical 9 year old!
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Construction of the new home we had built for the family is well underway in this photo. The home is much larger so it should be cooler inside, it also has a foundation that will help keep water out when the rainy season hits which will mean it's going to be cleaner.
We've also added electricity to their home, something they've never had before. In the past Evelyn used a car battery to power a single lightbulb in their previous home. She would need to take the battery to town every two weeks and have it recharged.
We're going to cover the cost of the electricity bills for two years while the family gets back on their feet.
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The completed home!
It all started right here over a year ago. The direction we thought the project would go was nowhere near accurate. What was meant to be a trip through the Philippines on a Trike, quickly turned into a much bigger, and more important project than we anticipated. In the end it couldn't have gone better. It was a lot of hard work but we had an amazing team of caring people that supported us and without them it would not have been possible.
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This was our measurement of success. A happy, healthy Janet. She's back in school now and her teacher says she's been doing really well. She's also back playing with the other kids. Less than a year ago she had to watch from the sidelines as the other students played in the courtyard, she didn't have the energy or strength. That's all in the past.
Janet turned 10 in April.
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