Saturday, May 05, 2007

Badminton...for a cause

The 1st LifeBridge Badminton Tournament was held last Saturday at the Greenhills Badminton Court. The Tournament Director was no other than my hubby (Jojo Mance). I have to admit that I knew nothing about this organization when I first heard about it. I decided to tag along since I needed to keep myself busy.

When I arrived at the Greenhills Badminton Court, the venue of the tourney, I was able to talk to the organizers of the tournament. I learned that LifeBridge is a non-governmental Christian organization helping people who were in need. For this particular badminton tournament, the proceeds will go to the Cornelia de Lange Syndrome Support Group headed by Mr. Don Suarez. When I talked to Mr. Suarez, the first thing I asked was what the Cornelia de Lange syndrome (“CDLS”) is all about.

What is CDLS?

Cornelia de Lange syndrome is a developmental disorder that affects many parts of the body. The features of this disorder vary widely among affected individuals and range from relatively mild to severe.

Cornelia de Lange syndrome is characterized by slow growth before and after birth, mental retardation that is usually severe to profound, abnormalities involving the arms and hands, and distinctive facial features. The facial differences include thin, arched eyebrows; long eyelashes; low-set ears; small, widely spaced teeth; and a small, upturned nose. Many affected individuals also have behavior problems similar to autism, a developmental condition that affects communication and social interaction.

The parents of children afflicted with CDLS created a support group in order to help one another. Moreover, since children with CDLS require constant care all throughout their life, it causes quite a financial strain on the family. The support group is a critical component of caring for the children. My discussion with Mr. Suarez was very uplifting and reminded me all too well of the tragedy that befell my son. It aroused in me the desire to reach out to others.

I also got to meet the consultant of the CDLS support group, Dr. Eva Cutiongco-de la Paz, who, aside from being a doctor, also happened to be a genetic counsellor. I believe that this was no ordinary coincidence. Jojo and I really need to see a genetic counsellor and we had no idea who to go to. Aside from this, I was also toying with the idea of forming a support group here in the Philippines for parents of children who have trisomy 18 or Edward’s syndrome. I mentioned this to Dra. De la Paz and she thought it was a good idea. She said she could help me since she has several patients who were also parents of children with trisomy 18. I really hope that our plans would push through. For the first time in months, I went home that day full of hope.

All in all, the tournament was a success. Here are some pictures from the tournament.

The organizers, tournament director and coordinator of the 1st LifeBridge Badminton Tournament

Jojo having an animated conversation with Mark Anthony Fernandez.

(Oh, did I forget to mention that some celebrities also participated in this event?)

Daisy Reyes with a crazed fan (???!!!)

25 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm glad that it turned out to be a success!

[:

Anonymous said...

waaa... badminton..miss ko na maglaro ulit.. wahahaha.. one more month and welcome me again..:D

Sidney said...

It is nice to see that a lot of people give their time, energy and money to such organizations!

ladybug said...

kyels> Thanks! :-)

ladybug said...

david edward> Di bale, enjoy ka na lang muna diyan sa U.S. There are plenty of opportunities to play badminton again when you return. Ingat.

ladybug said...

sidney> I was really amazed at the many volunteers and the sponsors that this event had. May God bless all of them. :-)

Anonymous said...

I bet, that's you in the pic with Daisy Reyes! hehehe.

ipanema said...

That's a great project to get into Ladybug. I came into the internet looking for support groups for people with my eye disease. I only found one in the U.S. none in the Philippines. I hope you will realise building a support group. People need one.

Hey, change your profile photo. You're pretty! You look so sweet in that photo. Your face and the tone of your comments match. Bihira ako magkamali ng personality ng tao. Do you know I can 'feel'? Vibrations they say. Now I can confirm. Tama ako, ngayon nakita ko photo mo. And I'm happy. :)

Good luck with your project!

vic said...

It's always nice to see people getting involve in volunteering their time and money for worthy cause. And especially for the less fortunate segments of our society, the physically and mentally handicapped (disabled). A few years ago, I used to volunteer almost everyday helping our seniors gets to where they wanted to go, but prefer to stay in their own homes and apartments instead of nursing homes. It is a good feeling just seeing them very appreciative for services, and I'm planning to do more volunteering as soon as time permits.

ladybug said...

rhodora> ssshhhh....wala na akong masabi :-)

ladybug said...

ipanema> Thanks. Nung nagka-problema kami tunkol kay Raphael, sobra akong nangapa nun. I tried to search for support groups online at tanging nasa US lang meron. Hirap talaga. Shempre puro plano pa lang. Hope everything pushes through....kahit matagalan pa, basta matuloy lang.

About the pic...hahaha. Nakaka-"feel" ka pala. I always wished I had that kind of "gift." Thanks for the compliment. :-)

ladybug said...

vic> It must be hard doing volunteer work for the seniors. That was nice of you to do volunteer work for them. I agree, it feels good when they appreciate what you do for them. Good luck with your plans! :-)

Anonymous said...

For certain, we need more and more worthwhile activities like this. They are not merely helpful to the ones in need, but also promotes good relationships in the society and good intentions are all abound.

ladybug said...

major tom> I fully agree with you. I hope there are more activites like this. Maganda na yung purpose, enjoy pa lahat ng tao. I take my hats off to the pharmaceutical companies who sponsored the event.

Anonymous said...

I'm glad to see the ladybug up and spreading her wings again. :-)

Do blog about your plans for the project. Who knows? Some parents of children with the same affliction might be bloggers themselves...

SeƱor Enrique said...

Nice to know you're up and about, Ladybug!

Great to know as well that there are more and more worthwhile activities going on in Metro Manila!

Anonymous said...

I think I need to see Dr. Dela Paz as well, no? I want to take badminton lessons too. :) You look great Ladybug! Raphael will be happy to see Mommy looking very beautiful and happy. :)

ladybug said...

snglguy> Thanks! I will surely keep you guys posted in case this project pushes through. Sana nga lang matuloy. :-D

ladybug said...

eric> Thanks! Sana nga there will be more projects like this.

ladybug said...

toe> Thanks! Regarding Dr. de la Paz, I don't think you need to see her unless you have a problem like mine or if there is a slight possibility because it runs in the family. But my problem wasn't inherited...sobrang accident lang daw yun and there is only a 1% chance that it might happen again. Anyway, I do hope you get to play badminton even if you're there in Cambodia.

Anonymous said...

It's nice to hear that you are keeping yourself busy and getting involved in a worthy cause.

I agree with the others. You are very pretty, ladybug. :)

Rey said...

so this is the badminton event that Mark has told me he has to be fit for...

Hey, ikaw yung katabi ni daisy di ba?

ladybug said...

niceheart> Hahaha...thanks. Actually, I haven't started with my plans yet. Dr. de la Paz wanted me to contact her when I'm ready na daw. I don't think I'm ready yet because the other day, when I saw a baby boy in a stroller, I cried. I hope and pray that the Lord will guide me in my future plans. :-D

ladybug said...

rey> wow, friends pala kayo ni mark ha. He's such an easy-going guy di ba? Walang ere. Regarding the pic....sshhhh, secret lang natin yun ha.

Anonymous said...

Natuloy po ba yung plan nyo to form a support group for families with T18 children? Thank you.