PSHF

Until his death, Christopher believed that he had been born out of wedlock but he never knew for sure. After he died, April, his girlfriend of almost 8 years, found out that Glenda, Christopher’s mother, had been raped and had never told anyone about it. The truth only came out when Glenda and April went to the social security office to file a claim for his burial benefit. The form she was filling in required the full name of the father and this is when she made the revelation, adding that she had never known the identity of the perpetrator. She made an affidavit to this effect.

Christopher grew up in the care of his grandmother Dominga. As for Glenda, she helps out in a relative’s household in order to earn some money. After Christopher died, Dominga no longer stayed in the house where she and Christopher had lived. She couldn’t bear to look at Christopher’s empty bed. In almost all of his dialysis sessions, she had gone with him.

Christopher had a good voice. In fact he had joined an audition for a reality TV show held in Bacolod. He reached the final round only to fail because he did not know the lyrics of the song he was asked to sing. For his schooling, he completed a theology degree at the Visayan Nazarene Bible Church in Cebu. After graduation, he went back to Bacolod and this is when the audition to the reality show took place. He had wanted to pursue a course in Pastoral Theology in Manila but he did not have the funds to do so. This is why he took up a job in a call centre, hoping to save money to study. Unfortunately a year or so after he joined the call centre, he began to feel ill and was subsequently diagnosed with End Stage Kidney Failure. He underwent hemodialysis from February 2011 until he died last month.

April was so devoted to him. When he wished for an air-conditioner because he always felt hot, she bought one for him on credit as she did not have the funds to buy it in cash. When I asked Christopher last year when he and April would get married, he said he didn’t know. April is the eldest in her family and is helping to send her younger siblings to school. Christopher’s death is the most devastating experience she has ever had.  

We in the PSHF are glad that through the generosity of sponsors we could provide funds for Christopher's dialysis and we are filled with admiration for April and Dominga for their devotion to him.