Diane with a patient

    The program to assist handicapped children began in 1986 and over one thousand children have been evaluated and assisted.  The island of Camiguin seems to have a high incidence of birth defects.  Perhaps this is due to the fact that the populace inter-marries closely.  Marriage between first cousins is common.  It may also be due to poor nutrition of the mothers prior to and during pregnancy.  Teenage pregnancy is quite common.

    Cleft lip and cleft palate is the most common birth defect by far.  These children are often reported to Diane a day or two after birth because the midwives around the island know that she has large droppers which aid in feeding these babies.  But if there is only a cleft palate, people are less likely to realize there is a problem and the child might not get diagnosed until he is much older.  The surgery for such cases can now be done right on the island since the hospital in Mambajao now has an anesthesiologist and a pediatric surgeon comes from a major city on Mindanao whenever Diane has a group of children ready for surgery.

    The majority of these children are unable to breast feed and the parents can seldom afford to buy enough of the expensive infant formula so Family to Family provides some infant formula every month and the mothers are taught how to feed the children with the droppers.  Then when the children are old enough, usually at least six months, assistance is provided for the medical work-up prior to surgery.  Though the check by the pediatrician at the government hospital is free, the lab work and chest x-ray are not.  And many of the parents don’t even have enough money for the carfare to and from the hospital.  Sometimes a child will be fine and surgery can proceed immediately.  But that is really the exception.  Many of the children have some infection or are anemic or have worms.  All these problems must be cleared up first.  Family to Family covers all of these medical treatments and the hospital bill and the meals for the parents during the hospitalization for the surgery of the child.

    Club foot is also a commonly seen problem.  And again the island is lucky that there is now an orthopedic surgeon at the Mambajao hospital.  These children sometimes only need serial plaster casting, but frequently have to go on and have surgery.  They usually require months or years of follow-up as the club foot has a tendency to come back.  They also often need braces and/or special shoes.

    Family to Family also assists children with post polio problems.  There have been no new paralytic polio cases for many years, but there are a number of youths in their teens and early twenties who have been aided over the past fifteen years both to have surgery and to be maintained in braces and crutches.  A number of these young people are also being assisted to go to high school and vocational school or college.

    Included in the Assistance to Handicapped Program  is assistance to burn cases.  This is mainly in order to try to prevent handicaps.   In the case of second and third degree burns assistance is provided in the acute phase, because avoiding or controlling infection at the burn site can often prevent the later development of contractures.  And assistance is also provided if such contractures requiring surgical correction do develop.  These cases often involve years of follow-up.

    Various eye problems are given assistance.  Congenital cataracts are helped with surgery including inter-ocular lenses.  Strabismus cases receive glasses and surgery if needed.  And many children have received eye glasses for errors of refraction.  Emergency help is provided for eye trauma cases, which often means they have to be rushed to Cagayan de Oro.

    Various other orthopedic and digestive tract birth defects have been aided.

    Tom and Diane thought they could eventually “clean up" all of these cases, but every year they see newborns or older children who have moved to the island who need help.  So they doubt they will run out of work to do.

Photos of Assistance to Handicapped Program

Contributions should be payable to "Family to Family, Inc." and mailed to:

Family to Family, Inc.

c/o Carroll County State Bank

Box 67

Carroll, Iowa  51401