The Assistance to Handicapped Program began in 1986 and several thousand children have been evaluated and assisted. The island of Camiguin seems to have a high incidence of birth defects. Perhaps this is due to the fact that the populace inter-marries closely. Marriage between first cousins is common. It may also be due to poor nutrition of the mothers prior to and during pregnancy.
Cleft lip and cleft palate is the most common birth defect by far. When a child with a cleft lip and/or palate is born at the hospital, the nurses advise the parents to come see us immediately. And midwives and nurses around the island also refer these cases to us. If the child only has a cleft lip, we explain when the child will be able to have surgery and assure them we will help with the surgery expenses. If the child also has a cleft palate, they cannot breast feed. So we provide the parents with large droppers to use for feeding. Since infant formula is very expensive, we provide some of the formula for the babies with cleft palate every month. Those with only cleft lip can be breastfeed. Because Camiguin has no specialist for this type of surgery nor a pediatric anesthesiologist, the surgery usually has to be done in Cagayan de Oro City, a four to five hour trip by boat and bus.
When the babies reach six months and seem healthy, we assist with a medical work up at the hospital in Camiguin prior to sending them to Cagayan de Oro. The consultation with the pediatrician is free, but we pay for the lab work and chest x-ray, as most of the parents can’t even afford the carfare to and from the hospital. Sometimes the child is fine and can be sent on to Cagayan de Oro immediately. But it is quite common that the child has some sort of infection or is anemic. So these problems have to be treated and cleared up first. Then Family To Family provides the transportation and meal expenses for the parents and the medicines after discharge. The hospitalization and surgery is free, thanks to SmileTrain, an international charity.
Club foot is seen fairly often. And again, these children have to be sent to Cagayan de Oro for treatment. Starting as soon as possible after birth (one or two weeks), we send them to Cagayan de Oro for free weekly serial casting of the foot or feet to gradually correct the position of the foot/feet. We provided the transportation money, the casting is free, and the materials for the casts are provided by another local charity, Happy Feet. Usually after 9 to 12 weekly castings, the foot position is corrected enough for the child to graduate to special shoes and a brace to maintain the position of the feet. Shoes and braces are replaced when they are outgrown. This usually continues until the child is at least 4 years old. The shoes and braces are also provided by Happy Feet. This long term follow up is needed because otherwise, the deformity tends to recur.
Various eye problems are given aid. Congenital cataracts are helped to get to surgery in Cagayan de Oro, including the implantation of intra-ocular lenses when they are older. Strabismus (crossed-eyes) cases receive glasses and surgery, if needed. And many children have received eye glasses for errors of refraction. Emergency help is provided for children with eye trauma, which often means they have to be rushed to Cagayan de Oro.
Included in the Assistance to Handicapped Program is aid to children with serious burns . This is mainly to prevent handicaps. In the case of second and third degree burns we provide the medicines and the special burn ointment during the acute stage. This treats or prevents infection to prevent expansion of the burned area and aids in more rapid healing. We also give the parents money for meals during the hospitalization. We also provide transportation money for going back and forth for daily dressing changes after discharge from the hospital. If contractures do develop, we provide assistance for surgery to correct the contractures. This can be done at the hospital on Camiguin. The contracture cases need years of follow up because as the child grows, the scar tissue does not grow, so the contractures recur.
Family To Family also provides transportation to one of three centers on the island for children in need of physical therapy. This includes children with delayed physical development, cerebral palsy and Down’s Syndrome. One center is at the hospital in Mambajao, one at a health center in the next municipality and one on the other side of the island. Children needing special education are provided with transportation money to get to and from one of several public elementary schools on the island who offer SPED (Special Education) classes. This includes children who are blind, deaf, slow learners, on the Autism spectrum, ADHD, and other learning problems.
Tom and Diane thought they could eventually “clean up” all of these cases, but every year there are newborns or older children who move to the island who need help. So it is doubtful that Family To Family will ever “run out of work” to do.