THE HANDS WITH A HEART

January 20,2008

A Journey through Cancer
By Muffet Dolar Villegas
Heart of Gold


Beloved,let us love one another,
for love is of God.-1 John 4:7


I can enumerate endless events which happened lately, but I want to highlight on an inspiring couple.
When we pass through life like a zooming jet, we only leave a faint impression of a fading, disappearing smoke. But once in a while, we are reminded to stop and breath, stop and listen, stop and know. Like a delicious soup prepared before us in a cold stormy night, we pause, take in the aroma and close our eyes, then sip and just linger a little bit. I have this precious quiet moment now.
I have so many things to share with you that ideas burst in my head and I don’t know where to start. There were days that I stare blankly at an empty screen for hours, but today is different.
Actually, I’m sick again today, and I am taking a delicious time to rest and ponder on God’s awesome blessings. My kind doctor, Ami Madamba, my children’s pediatrician and a good friend advised me to have a vaccine for protection from any forms of bacteria. I have been an easy target of infection these days, but when our bodies are weak, our spirit seems to go to higher places. This time also serves as my reflection time.
There will be exciting school activities with our Korean students visitors next week, like press conferences which I will handle, and my medical examinations where feelings can be very persuasive like doubts, courage, fear and hope.
But I know that when time comes, God knows how to make just the right mixture, and everything will turn out best.

God added into my list of friends a wonderful couple from England, Noel and Tess Clarke who emailed me and expressed their desire to share their time and abilities to help children with cancer here in Dumaguete city. I was emotional while reading through the email, and the earnest desire to help brought me much hope and courage for others in this journey. I know there are many out there who work quietly, tirelessly to make this world a better place to live. Noel and Tess have devoted their lives in helping other people cope with some debilitating illnesses in England for many years. Noel said that he was encouraged to email me when he read my November article about cancer month. In that issue, I wrote about some of the activities which other medical doctors initiated to help their patients, which was headed by Dr. Geena Macalua, Dr. Jing Rosario and Dr. Sheila Flores of the Silliman University Medical Center.
Tess, is a Filipina, who is also an artist and has a big heart for children. She donated some art materials to my oncologist Dr. Macalua to be used for free art therapy lessons to help cancer warriors.
I write about these people who have willing hearts and hands to help, because I want to encourage others without hope, those who are told that life ends soon and those who feel like they are singled out from all the rest to suffer alone. I would like to let them know that God reaches out His hands, and uses people who make themselves available for the task.
And for those who would like to help cancer warriors, you may approach Dr. Jing Rosario or Dr. Geena Macalua of the the Silliman Medical Center.
Time and distance do not seem to matter to people who have the heart for people. The most beautiful hands are not the smooth ones, but those which bear the mark of their hearts.