Dave John's Note Box

Greetings! The sweetest smile that you can get is the smile of a little child. Even if that child is suffering from cancer.

I am writing in behalf of Mga Kaibigan ng mga Kabataang may Kanser (Friends of Children with Cancer) or KKK, Inc for short. It is a non-stock, non-profit corporation formed in 2007 in Iloilo, Philippines, by a small group of doctors and other concerned citizens, with the objective of providing financial support for chemotherapy to cancer-stricken children. These children come from indigent Filipino families that can even barely feed their members. These poor families never had a budget for medical needs, more so for expensive chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy. In fact, most of these children with cancer die because the necessary treatments were not availed of, due to financial constraints. Costly cancer treatment forces many children and their families to drop their plans for the future and just focus on surviving in the present.

The group is presently supporting the treatments of seven recipients, with ages ranging from 2 to 14. Six of them are diagnosed to have Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia, a type of cancer with a good prognosis, provided that prompt and adequate medications are administered. The other one is a case of a 5-year old female with retinoblastoma (cancer of the eye). She has had her involved eye surgically removed and still requires subsequent chemotherapy. These children come from the Iloilo and Guimaras islands in the Western Visayas part of the Philippines.

I am taking my chance and writing to whoever might spare me some attention. Personally,I have been touched by stories of children who are ill, and who senselessly lose their lives only because they were not accorded the proper care and medical treatment. But through this organization (KKK, Inc), I feel that with any help, be it financial or otherwise, we could make a change in somebody's life no matter how small that may be.

The purpose of my letter is to ask for any support you may possibly contribute, so that at least, these children (and hopefully a lot more in the future) may experience hope, possibly receive a second lease on life, and even live their dreams of a bright tomorrow. Take a peek at our webpage, www.iloilokanserkids.com if you wish to know more about this group.

Our group is at its infancy and we will welcome any type of aid that you can give our recipients, be it monetary, medicines, food, clothings, etc.
I would like to emphasize the multiplication aspect of your donation to our cause – that while an individual’s contribution may not be sufficient to support the entire treatment course of one patient, the accumulated collection of all our friends’ generosity will. Your donation will surely go far.

Mahatma Gandhi once said, "We must be the change we wish to see in the world." In that spirit, I applaud your efforts in alleviating the plight of those in need of help. Without a doubt, each one can make a difference in the life of a child and their family who has almost lost hope.