In his hospital bed at the Service Ward of the Iloilo Doctors' Hospital, Jemhel Galleto, 14, has three wishes: to finally go home to his oil-spill-ravaged village, return to school and finally, lead a normal life, which he never had.

But with the way things are, Jemhel, may not be able to do so soon. His recovery from his recent second surgery is relatively slow - causing his medicine and related bills to soar. His treatment and medicines are being funded by donations from DAILY STAR readers.

Jehmel underwent a pull through operation on Jan. 12 after a successful colostomy on Nov. 24 which is the first stage of the two-phased surgery.

His attending physician, Bacolod native Dr. Roberto Lozada, a pediatric surgeon who rendered his services free of charge, said the operations are expected to allow the boy to have normal bowel movement.

The boy has been suffering from Hirschsprung Disease, which is caused by the absence of nerves from his rectum.

Since birth, the boy could not move his bowels unless aided by suppositories, said his mother Mely. The Galletos are natives of Cabalagnan, one of the villages worst hit by the Sept. 11 oil spill.

As a result, the boy's growth has been stunted. At 14, he stands a little more than 3 feet and 6 inches.

The boy's plight caught the attention of visiting St. La Salle Mass Communications students, who were documenting the oil spill incident at the Cablagnan evacuation center in October.

The mother told the visiting students that her son has not defecated for about a week as they had no money since the seaweed project, where her husband, Jesusimo was working, was destroyed by the oil spill.

The boy's story, written in the Visayan DAILY STAR, caught the attention of an online edition reader in the United States, who pledged to shoulder immediately the two surgical operations, earlier estimated at P100,000, on condition of anonymity. A Bacolod reader also sent P20,000 to help the boy.

Immediately, the DAILY STAR coordinated with the Office of Gov. JC Rahman Nava and the Guimaras Department of Social Welfare and Development, for the pre-surgical requirements and check-ups of the boy. Jehmel was admitted after qualifying as a charity-case patient.

Jehmel was expected to be discharged on the second week after the surgery but recurring fever and related ailments have prevented him from being discharged.

His extended stay in the hospital has led to mounting pharmacy bills that as of Wednesday this week, his bills alone for medicine in his second surgery reached more than P110,000. He is under observation for at least another week and is subject to a series of more laboratory tests.

Unmindful of his present health predicament, Jehmel says he misses school already. Since his first surgery, he has been absent for more than 10 weeks now. "I want to catch up with what I missed," said the boy, who dreams of becoming an architect someday.

And I also miss the games I play with my classmates and my brother and sister, he further said adding: "I hope I'll have the chance to lead a 'normal' life, too.

The DAILY STAR hopes to raise P100,000 for Jemhel's medicine and other hospital bills as well as post-hospital expenses. Readers who want to help may contact 034-434-56-53 or email us at visayandailystar@yahoo.com

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