Mikhail is a Six year old male from one of our communities, the Alberto Balcells Hope Village- Gawad Kalinga in Talisay City. A community that is named after the father of Kalipay Foundation’s Founder and President, Miss Anna Balcells. Mikhail was a normal kid upon birth until he reached three years old. He was observed to slowly deteriorate physically. He was not able to walk properly from then on, so Mikhail had to be in a wheelchair most of the time. Eventually, Mikhail lost his eyesight. Inspite of several consultations with neuropediatricians in the city, Mikhail still remains to be in this delibitating state. What makes us fight for Mikhail is his happy disposition despite of what happened to him. He remains a positive young child and it transcends to every person he meets. He has a ready smile all the time eventhough he cannot see you. He communicates by touching the one who talks to him. Mikhail is well-loved and well-cared for by his family, especially his grandmother, Rosalinda. Lola Rosalinda has been Mikhail’s strength and Mikhail is Lola Rosalinda’s life. One can see the genuine and selfless love that a grandmother has for her grandson. This is Kalipay Foundation’s prime motivation to do everything to save a beautiful soul and give him a beautiful life. With the help of kind and supportive volunteers like Gonzalo Erize and company, Mikhail and Lola Rosalinda were sent to Manila for more than two weeks, so that Mikhail can undergo various medical interventions to determine
what really is his illness. At present, Mikhail’s working diagnosis is Neurodegenerative white mater disease probably neuronal period lipofuscinosis versus adrenoleukodystrophy cannot totally rule out mitochondrial disease. This disease inflicts one individual in every 10,000 people, making it a very rare degenerative disease.
