A New Reason To Smile

Life is tough for Maricel. Her family lives in ultra poverty. Maricel and her husband are rice field laborers and earn a combined monthly income of US$22.22/PHP1,000, well under what is needed to provide for their family of four. Maricel didn’t graduate from elementary school – her parents had been unable to pay for her uniform and transportation – leaving the mother-of-two feeling insecure. Her home has no electricity and Maricel’s family relies on a lamp for light after the sun sets. There were few reasons to smile, and in a way, Maricel was grateful. The 24-year-old had a longstanding gum infection that had caused the front of her mouth to swell. When she had to speak to people she felt uneasy, and would rather be quiet than speak and show her teeth. “I really want to become normal like other people around me. Every time I join in a group I try not to talk or smile because of my gums,I felt like everybody are staring at my mouth. I hope that someday i can talk and smile to everybody without hesitation and learn more to have self confidence.” Maricel felt she wasn’t normal, and being so shy and unwilling to talk made it tough for her to make friends. She wanted her life to change, but didn’t have the money for a dentist or the understanding that medical attention was needed. When attending ICM’s Transform program, the health trainer noticed Maricel’s condition and referred her to ICM’s Medical Case Program. Maricel saw a dentist who diagnosed that she had oral fibroma, a common benign scar-like reaction to persistent long-standing irritation in the mouth. The mass would need to be removed. Maricel and her husband were worried, as they had no money to pay for the procedure. Thankfully, donors to ICM’s Medical Mercy Fund covered the cost of the operation. which occurred in August, 2016, and the follow up treatment. Just minutes after waking from her operation, Maricel was relieved and happy. Although her circumstances remain the same, Maricel has a new reason to smile and is grateful for her new confidence. In the lives of many that live on subsistent level, one medical crisis can wipe out any progress made in the fight out of poverty. ICM works with families to help them remove as many barriers to quality health care as possible. In 2015-16, ICM assisted 183 patients with surgical needs and 2,069 patients with non-surgical needs.   By Ellen Ordonez, ICM medical case volunteer and Welme Madraga, ICM Medical Case Coordinator, Roxas