Baby John Jalo Zapanta

Being born blind in both eyes, i.e. with bilateral congenital catarct, is a relatively rare phenomenon, ocurring in 1 of every 2,000 live births. This was the sad fate of 5-month old Baby John Jalo Zapanta, who was born to an unemployed teenage couple living in poverty. The infant's father, Marcelino, also suffers from partial blindness. Support for Baby John Jalo and his parents, comes from his Grandmother, Aling Fe, who earns One Hundred Pesos (P100.00) daily as a food vendor and who supports five other children, Marcelino's siblings, on her income.

The circumstances of Baby John Jalo's birth and the conditions of his young life present an eloquent picture of the hopelessness that characterizes the state of lifelong poverty to which many of the Philippine's young people are doomed, often for life. But by a stroke of good fortune, the Ophthalmological Foundation of the Philippines (OFPHIL) through its partner the Asian Eye Institute (AEI) on the eve of its first year anniversary, came into Baby John Jalo's life, bringing a ray of light to his blindness and a ray of hope to his family.

Baby John Jalo was one of the 100 indigent patients enlisted by the City of Manila- OFPHIL Eye Care Center at the GAT Andres Bonificio Memorial Medical Center (GABMMC), a charity hospital in Tondo. Dr. Ma. Dolores Luna, GABMMC's Medical Director, brought the infant to AEI where he was scheduled for surgery on Septembre 9, 2002. AEI's team of doctors operated on Baby John Jalo for 3 1/2 hours. Manila Mayor Lito Atienza put on surgical cap and gown to witness the procedure. The operation was a medical success and the cataracts blocking Baby Jalo's sight were successfully removed. Moreover, AEI made a decision to "adopt" Baby John Jalo and pledged to monitor the infant's progress and provide any necessary eye treatment until the infant grows into adulthood.

"We had approached so many hospitals to ask for help," began Mrs. Locife Zapanta-Fraga, Baby John Jalo's doting grandmother, unable to contain tears of joy ever since her blind grandson received the gift of sight following successful eye operation. "Everyone... from Dr. Tolentino to Dr. Veloso to the staff - gave Jalao top priority!" Mrs. Fraga continued, in awe at the kind attention showered upon Baby John Jalo who by then become AEI's favorite patient. After the surgery the staff attended to all his follow-up examinations and pharmaceutical needs. They even put up the money needed to buy him a special pair of eyeglasses, whic cost as much as his grandmother's monthly salary as a laundrywoman.

AEI is a partner of OFPHIL and Restoring Sight International (RSI) and upon request serves OFPHIL's indigent patients especially children who require general anesthesia.