Readers react
September 30, 2003 | 12:00am
Every week, I get tons of e-mail from you, our readers, and though I may not always be able to answer them as quickly as possible, I make it a point to address your concerns regularly through letters published here. Thank you for writing. I continue to receive requests for the Gallstone Flush Recipe. I encourage you to kindly go to The Philippine Star archives and search for "Warning on the gallstone flush."
Last week’s article, " One fine weekend," drew numerous responses from people requesting for The Farm’s contact numbers. I want to thank most especially the husbands who e-mailed me expressing their desire to bring their wives there. Here’s a letter from owner Perla Rempe. Since I didn’t provide you information on how to get to the farm, I also included their contact numbers in Perla’s letter for the benefit of those who want to see this paradise.
Dear Maricel,
Our office sent us a copy of your delightfully different and heartwarming article about your and your husband’s "One fine weekend" at The Farm at San Benito. To know that what The Farm has been envisioned to be is now a reality as you confirm through your experience is a thorough fulfillment of our dream. Thank you for sharing your getaway publicly through your column with the many readers of The Philippine Star. We hope there will be more people "who have come alive."Salamat and God bless, Perla E. Rempe The Farm at San Benito at: www.thefarm.com.ph/ tel. nos. 822-9056, 696-3175 Cell phone 0917-5368879
Remember Mommy Christine? She wrote us several weeks ago seeking advice on how to cope with her child’s autism. So many of you took time out to give her names of doctors and support group contacts as well as precious bits of advice. Here’s her response:
Dear Maricel,
Let me express my heartfelt thanks and sincere appreciation for publishing readers’ comments a couple of weeks ago re my concern. All views were enlightening and life-changing. God works in wondrous ways – without you guys it would have been difficult for me to sail in the stormy seas of my life. My son is now undergoing occupational therapy (twice a week) and we are waitlisted at CARD (Center for Autism and Related Disorder) for a home program schedule. The teachers and professionals I consulted with were very warm and genuine. They empathized with me and understand my challenges. Again, thank you.
Mommy Christine
Hi Maricel!
I’m one of your avid readers. In fact, I just recently bought your book Mommy Talk in your The Master’s Library, Megamall branch. It’s such an inspiring book on how to rear a child. I have a one-and-a-half-year-old baby girl and every day, I discover new exciting challenges regarding her. In fact, I read a lot of inspirational books, but I’ve learned that each child is unique and there is no such school or book that teaches you exactly how to deal with them perfectly. Actually, it was only after 10 years of marriage that God blessed us with a baby (after two miscarriages). Sometimes, I get so intense about raising her maybe because I just want everything to be done perfectly. I want my yaya to get more educated on how to take care of my child. I heard that you are conducting the "I Love You, Yaya" seminar and I am interested. I believe that your seminar will somehow open her awareness to a lot of things, especially on providing care for my daughter. Could you send me details of this seminar and let me know if you have an upcoming one?
Irma
Dear Irma,
I’m happy to tell you that we will be having our next I Love You, Yaya seminar on Oct. 25, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. at The Bridge School, 23 Cairo St., BF Northwest, Parañaque, Metro Manila. Seminar fee is P1,500.00 (inclusive of lunch, two snacks, giveaways, handouts, certificate) Medium of instruction: Filipino. Call 920-0537/435-4281/433-0387/434-0139; fax 435-4301.
Maricel
Folks, here’s a very informative letter on lupus. Kindly share with those you know who may benefit from it.
Dear Maricel,
I was just reading your columm about pervasive developmental disorder and suddenly thought of writing you to inquire if you have encountered inquiries about lupus disorders in children.
My name is Marilyn Robles. I am a lupus patient of eight years. I am also the president of the Lupus Foundation of the Philippines. Unlike other foundations, all our members and officers are lupus patients themselves. Our medical adviser/consultant is Dr. Sandra Navarra, a rheumatologist connected with UST and St. Luke’s Hospital.
Perhaps you can help us create awareness of this disease, though it may seem to most that it affects adults only. This concept is totally incorrrect as there have been patients diagnosed with lupus as young as four years old. Last year, during our yearly lupus symposium, where we usually would break out into small groups for the workshop, I found myself among 10 pedia patients, the youngest of whom was 7!
Lupus is an auto immune disease. This means an individual produces an auto antibody (meaning produced by the individual himself) that cannot distinguish which are foreign substances that ought to be destroyed or which are generally good antibodies. In other words, it is a self-against-self disease.
There are three kinds of lupus. One is systemic lupus erythematosus or SLE. As a systemic disorder, the disease can affect any organ of the body. The other kind of lupus is called discoid lupus. This kind of lupus affects the skin. The good thing about being afflicted with discoid lupus is that the disease is most often than not limited to the skin only. Of course, it can always progress and become SLE. The last type of lupus is drug-induced lupus. There are some medications that can make a blood test for lupus turn positive. However, as soon as the drug is identified and withdrawn from the patient, the individual ceases to have lupus.
Lupus patients are always warned and told to limit his/her sun exposure as prolonged exposure can trigger a flare (an attack). This is very difficult for children to handle since they normally love to play outdoors. A yaya cannot keep on protecting the child with an umbrella while at play!
I can write on and on about lupus, but my main concern now is to get as many parents aware of the fact that lupus is a condition best diagnosed by a rheumatologist. If their children seem to have an endless sunburn on their face, coupled with joint pains, or are constantly in pain, then a visit to a rheumatologist would be best. Should their child be diagnosed with lupus, they are not to feel totally depressed (better said than done, of course) since the survival rate of lupus patients has very much improved since it was first discovered over 50 years ago.
Best regards.
Marilyn
E-mail author at mommytalk@business works.com.ph
Dear Maricel,
Our office sent us a copy of your delightfully different and heartwarming article about your and your husband’s "One fine weekend" at The Farm at San Benito. To know that what The Farm has been envisioned to be is now a reality as you confirm through your experience is a thorough fulfillment of our dream. Thank you for sharing your getaway publicly through your column with the many readers of The Philippine Star. We hope there will be more people "who have come alive."Salamat and God bless, Perla E. Rempe The Farm at San Benito at: www.thefarm.com.ph/ tel. nos. 822-9056, 696-3175 Cell phone 0917-5368879
Dear Maricel,
Let me express my heartfelt thanks and sincere appreciation for publishing readers’ comments a couple of weeks ago re my concern. All views were enlightening and life-changing. God works in wondrous ways – without you guys it would have been difficult for me to sail in the stormy seas of my life. My son is now undergoing occupational therapy (twice a week) and we are waitlisted at CARD (Center for Autism and Related Disorder) for a home program schedule. The teachers and professionals I consulted with were very warm and genuine. They empathized with me and understand my challenges. Again, thank you.
Mommy Christine
I’m one of your avid readers. In fact, I just recently bought your book Mommy Talk in your The Master’s Library, Megamall branch. It’s such an inspiring book on how to rear a child. I have a one-and-a-half-year-old baby girl and every day, I discover new exciting challenges regarding her. In fact, I read a lot of inspirational books, but I’ve learned that each child is unique and there is no such school or book that teaches you exactly how to deal with them perfectly. Actually, it was only after 10 years of marriage that God blessed us with a baby (after two miscarriages). Sometimes, I get so intense about raising her maybe because I just want everything to be done perfectly. I want my yaya to get more educated on how to take care of my child. I heard that you are conducting the "I Love You, Yaya" seminar and I am interested. I believe that your seminar will somehow open her awareness to a lot of things, especially on providing care for my daughter. Could you send me details of this seminar and let me know if you have an upcoming one?
Irma
Dear Irma,
I’m happy to tell you that we will be having our next I Love You, Yaya seminar on Oct. 25, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. at The Bridge School, 23 Cairo St., BF Northwest, Parañaque, Metro Manila. Seminar fee is P1,500.00 (inclusive of lunch, two snacks, giveaways, handouts, certificate) Medium of instruction: Filipino. Call 920-0537/435-4281/433-0387/434-0139; fax 435-4301.
Maricel
Dear Maricel,
I was just reading your columm about pervasive developmental disorder and suddenly thought of writing you to inquire if you have encountered inquiries about lupus disorders in children.
My name is Marilyn Robles. I am a lupus patient of eight years. I am also the president of the Lupus Foundation of the Philippines. Unlike other foundations, all our members and officers are lupus patients themselves. Our medical adviser/consultant is Dr. Sandra Navarra, a rheumatologist connected with UST and St. Luke’s Hospital.
Perhaps you can help us create awareness of this disease, though it may seem to most that it affects adults only. This concept is totally incorrrect as there have been patients diagnosed with lupus as young as four years old. Last year, during our yearly lupus symposium, where we usually would break out into small groups for the workshop, I found myself among 10 pedia patients, the youngest of whom was 7!
Lupus is an auto immune disease. This means an individual produces an auto antibody (meaning produced by the individual himself) that cannot distinguish which are foreign substances that ought to be destroyed or which are generally good antibodies. In other words, it is a self-against-self disease.
There are three kinds of lupus. One is systemic lupus erythematosus or SLE. As a systemic disorder, the disease can affect any organ of the body. The other kind of lupus is called discoid lupus. This kind of lupus affects the skin. The good thing about being afflicted with discoid lupus is that the disease is most often than not limited to the skin only. Of course, it can always progress and become SLE. The last type of lupus is drug-induced lupus. There are some medications that can make a blood test for lupus turn positive. However, as soon as the drug is identified and withdrawn from the patient, the individual ceases to have lupus.
Lupus patients are always warned and told to limit his/her sun exposure as prolonged exposure can trigger a flare (an attack). This is very difficult for children to handle since they normally love to play outdoors. A yaya cannot keep on protecting the child with an umbrella while at play!
I can write on and on about lupus, but my main concern now is to get as many parents aware of the fact that lupus is a condition best diagnosed by a rheumatologist. If their children seem to have an endless sunburn on their face, coupled with joint pains, or are constantly in pain, then a visit to a rheumatologist would be best. Should their child be diagnosed with lupus, they are not to feel totally depressed (better said than done, of course) since the survival rate of lupus patients has very much improved since it was first discovered over 50 years ago.
Best regards.
Marilyn
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