by Manuel Angelo Terania Grino Φ2017
Your disease does not define you. You get to decide what will happen in the many chapters of your life. Cancer should not be the epilogue of one’s life story. This is what the Phi Kappa Mu Fraternity and the Phi Lambda Delta Sorority believe in, and it’s this idea that gave birth to Kabanata Para sa Kabataan: a storytelling event about fighting the odds, believing in oneself and holding on to hope.
A short but sweet event, the activity started at lunch time at the Cancer Institute of the Philippine General Hospital. First was the storytelling activity featuring Sinag, the hero of the Fraternity’s service project called Project Hero, and the Phi Lambda Delta’s book characters John and Peter. The story was fun and full of energy, with the highs and lows felt in every utterance of the characters’ words. As an interactive story session, it felt like the performers were among the children, playing with them and getting their reactions.
There was also a separate session on caring for cancer patients to the parents and guardians. The parents listened attentively and made sure to take in as much as they could for the sake of their children. They asked questions to the brods and sisses, which was answered promptly and as clear as possible, to make sure that proper care was always given.
After that, the brods and sisses gave away toys and food for the patients. The patients’ eyes lit up as the brods were giving out enjoyment from their hands. The smiles on the children as they were given the toys was something to behold, and was beautiful reminder as to why service was given such a priority by the Fraternity and Sorority. The meals filled their tummies and satiated their appetite.
As it was time to go, the brothers and sisters were hesitant to leave their newly made friends. They knew that this wasn’t something they’ll ever forge: the feeling of service that makes a difference, one that everyone in that institute felt at that day.
