Volume 56, Number 3 - Summer 2010

 

By Cynthia Melody, MNA

Last year I applied for my first passport so I could travel to the Philippines. Why the Philippines? Two reasons. First, I work with Dr. Peter Bretan, a Novato urologist, and was inspired by his philanthropic passion for the LifePlant International kidney transplant missions to the Philippines. Second, I had family in the Philippines that I’d never met. When Peter invited me and my 26-year-old daughter Erika Goodwin on the January 2010 LifePlant mission, I realized it was going to be the opportunity of a lifetime.

In 1922 my grandfather, Emiliano Soriano Montero, then 18, left his poor farming family of nine in the Philippines and traveled to San Francisco with the dream of having a better life. Six years later he married my Swiss grandmother, Esther Bolliger. They married in Mexico (because of California’s laws against interracial marriage) and settled in Palo Alto to raise a family. 

My grandfather rarely spoke of his life in the Philippines and never expressed interest in returning; but in his mid-80s, he went back to attend his brother’s 90th birthday celebration. Neither of his daughters, and none of his grandchildren, had returned to the Philippines until my visit. While preparing for the mission, I contacted my grandfather’s nephew, Dr. Emmanuel Bulawin Montero, about this opportunity to meet our family, and he agreed to join us. Dr. Montero, a New Jersey anesthesiologist, is the family patriarch, known as Apo Emmanuel.

The annual LifePlant missions (formerly called RotaPlant) are sponsored by the Rotary International clubs of Novato and West Davao, Philippines. The missions provide education and experience for Filipino physicians and nurses in organ donor harvesting and transplant surgeries. Volunteers also perform TB screenings at local schools and bring donations of books and computers. All physician and nonmedical volunteers donate their time and pay for their own travel and housing, but most of the hospital care is donated. 

The Philippines is an archipelago of 7,107 volcanic islands stretching 1,150 miles from north to south and 660 miles from east to west. Only about 2,000 of the islands are inhabited, but they are home to more than 90 million people. 

The LifePlant mission was centered in Davao, the largest city on the southerly island of Mindanao. After a 23-hour flight from San Francisco, we landed at Davao International Airport and were met by Salvador “Bading” Angular, the president of the Davao City Rotary Club, who escorted us through customs, along with our eight duffle bags, four very large boxes of surgical supplies, and 300 pounds of dictionaries for schools and orphanages. Unnerved by the number of guards with guns—and stunned by the humidity—we piled into vans to journey through the lush, beautiful and culturally diverse countryside. 

Traveling with Rotary Club dignitaries, we first visited Davao Regional Hospital, where the transplant surgeries were scheduled. Built in 1974, this 200-bed facility is operated by the Philippine government. Banners welcomed the “U.S.A. Transplant Team,” and we met the hospital administrator and the local surgical team. We also visited Governor Rosario of Davao del Norte Province at his grand residence, where we were welcomed by another banner, a band, and tanghalían (lunch). We visited Mayor Ray Uy, and his wife, Alma Lim, at their elegant home and were treated to the region’s fruit delicacy: the durian, a large, green, thorny fruit with a distinctive odor.

The transplant surgeons on the LifePlant team, which was led by Dr. Bretan, included Dr. Art Martinez (San Francisco), Dr. Laurel Matthews (Cleveland, Ohio), and Dr. Karl Dietrich Sievert (Stuttgart, Germany). Lisa Fish, president-elect of the Novato Rotary Club, was the mission photographer. During the mission, the team performed 10 surgeries with Filipino surgeons, including four organ donor harvests, four transplant surgeries, and two urological reconstructive surgeries. 

(top) Street scene in Tagum City. (middle, left to right) Kim Turley, Erika Goodwin and Cynthia Melody visit MAA National High School. (bottom) Children at Boys Town orphanage.

LifePlant and the Rotary Club of West Davao work through local transplant doctors and centers to identify potential candidates for surgery. The patients, who are at low risk for rejection and in otherwise excellent health, are required to have a healthy, compatible donor (usually a blood relative or in-law) and must be able to afford their own immunosuppressive medication.

While the surgical team was at work, the nonmedical volunteers (Kim Turley, Erika and I) were escorted through the expansive, lush and humid countryside around Davao, all within view of the island’s highest peak, Mount Apo (9,691 feet). In the rural areas, people live in huts made of bamboo, wood, or cinder blocks. Near the outskirts of towns, thousands of families live side-by-side in crude shacks, often near a garbage dump, creek, or river. In the Western-style suburban areas, buildings and homes are surround by walls with razor wire or broken bottles on top, and many have gates with armed guards.

We visited several less advantaged elementary and high schools, all of which had banners over the driveways welcoming the Rotary Clubs of Novato and West Davao. The schools had open walls and no electricity, and class sizes ranged from 20 to more than 50, with many students sharing books and desks. Every classroom displayed a picture of the Virgin Mary and the president of the Philippines. We visited with principals and teachers, and soon distributed all 300 pounds worth of dictionaries. The students at the Paaraland Elementary School gathered around us in celebration.

The surgical team joined us at the Davao City Boys Town Orphanage, where we conducted TB screenings for 76 children using the PPD rapid assay test. Twelve children were identified with high probability of TB, which is among the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in the Philippines; the country has the ninth highest incidence of TB in the world. The Novato Rotary Club also provided Boys Town with two computers, including installation, technical service, and online tutorial education for one year. To show their appreciation, the children held a choral and instrumental performance showcasing their skills on indigenous instruments—it was magical.

After the mission was over, Erika and I flew to Manila, where we were met by our cousin John Montero Jr. and his wife, Babylin. Our family patriarch, Apo Emmanuel, had coordinated a family reunion, allowing us to meet 25 out of more than 100 second, third, fourth, and fifth cousins, many of whom drove several hours for the occasion. I was overwhelmed with their delight to meet their American family and vice versa. After a huge dinner, I drew a graph of my grandfather’s American family tree, and everyone did the same for their families. We documented 125 relatives dating back to my great, great, grandfather, Nicholas Montero, in 1840. What an experience!

The next day we visited many architectural sites influenced by hundreds of years of Spanish rule. A few hours drive gave way to a sweeping panoramic view of the active Taal volcano on an island in Taal Lake, which is itself a crater. The volcano island also has a crater lake, making it the world’s largest lake on an island in a lake on an island. 

My short and geographically limited visit rewarded me with a glimpse of the fascinating culture that is my heritage. The Philippines is a strikingly beautiful country with ubiquitous Catholic churches, centuries-old architecture, and countless pockets of paradise. The expansive vistas feature green, green, and more green, along with majestic mountains, volcanoes, lakes and beaches. In contrast to this scenic beauty are pervasive divisions between Christians and Muslims, affluent and poor, city dwellers and rural residents. Filipinos live with chaos, the result of a weak government, a political military, private armies, multiple insurgencies, protests, coup attempts, murders, terrorist attacks, hostage raids, elections marred by violence, and political dynasties that have long hindered progressive efforts for change. 

Despite the chaos, I found the Filipinos to be a very kind and hospitable people who give considerable respect to anybody, regardless of race, culture or religion. They place a high value on family, which is the basic unit of their society—and they have strong respect for their elders. When Apo Emmanuel says something, no questions are asked. His generosity has provided a college education for his children, grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews. 

While I prefer the cooler weather of the Pacific Northwest to the Philippine humidity and heat, I look forward to my next visit during the monsoon rains of the wet season (July to December). Salamat is Filipino for “Thank you.” Salamat Dr. Bretan for the opportunity of a lifetime. Salamat Apo Emmanuel for connecting me to our Filipino family. Salamat dear cousins in Manila for your generosity and the incomparable quality of your hospitality.

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