A single mum has tried to work hard and endure the difficulty of raising a family alone.
She said to herself that she could raise all her four kids, including her youngest son with a rare condition called imperforate anus- a birth defect in which a baby is born with improperly developed anus resulting to inability to defecate normally from their rectum.
Studies showed about one to seven babies in every 5,000 births suffer from this condition.
Mila Domingo Corpuz, 47, from Pinocok, Kalinga got married and had kids but was left behind by an ailing husband. She said her husband had a family before her. She had to let her go since he is better off going back to his family to take care of him. She said she could not pay for his medical maintenance.
It was 2014 when he left her, the year when she was pregnant with her son Coco – now 7 years old. It was a difficult year to give birth to a son with no father, but was more painful to see her son be born with a defect.
Mila’s work and how she sustains her family
Mila barely finished grade 4 due to poverty, and thus she could only do labor work. Mila, to survive, accepts laundry, assists landowners as a farmhand, and do other jobs for daily wage earners for manual labor.
Most of the time she gets paid about 200 pesos a day.
“Nu parent ka aramidem amin iti kabaelam. Uray nu kasatnu iti rigat mo ngem nu para iti annak mo, aramidem dayta,” she said adding that when she falls short of budget, she will have to sacrifice her share of the meal.
Mila admitted that there were times when she questioned God about the heavy burden. She said she could keep fighting but the helplessness of not being able to do anything for Coco drains her courage. During the interview, she finally broke down in tears and rhetorically asked “Anya ngay maaramidak…”, saying she can no longer do it all by herself. She needs help.
When Coco was born, there was no opening in his anus where the stool should pass. Days after he was born, a surgery was performed to create an opening in his abdomen or else he would die.
When Coco was 3 months, they visited a specialist and the recommendation was that Coco should have his operation when he reaches 2. But because they had no money for the operation to correct the defect, his situation has continued to this day.
Now that he is 7 years old, 5 years after his supposed surgery, the opening in his belly starts to be itchy and bluish. There are times when Coco experiences pain or sudden flow of blood from the opening in his stomach. Mila is not sure what could this lead to and she accepts she needs any kind of help to save her son.
Mila decided to plead for financial aid to help Coco get operated before his condition gets worse. She said she has been working hard but she has not saved enough even for a check-up for Coco. All she makes is only good for daily sustenance.
“Isu iti maysa a haan ko pakatur-turugan, pakapang-panganan a mangpan-panunut nu anya iti ikasta a mangtulong a mangpa-opera kanyana ta awan met iti ammuk a sabali a pangalaak, awan met ammuk nga umasitgak,” she said.
Mila concluded to ask anyone who has a bit to share for Coco’s operation.
To help Coco have a check-up and operation, you can send your donation through GCash: Jehvy Pingyos, 09056644218 or you may directly message Coco’s mum through this number, 09356868692. You can also contact Guru Press Cordillera.
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