Dolphin seen trying to rescue Negros fisherman

Friday, June 27, 2008

FEATURE

Dolphin seen trying to rescue Negros fisherman from drowning

By Ma. Ester L. Espina, Correspondent BACOLOD CITY: A man from Negros Occidental has captivated local media with a story about a dolphin that died trying to save his fellow fisherman from drowning after their boat sank during the onslaught of Typhoon Frank. Roberto Caratao and Joseph Cesdorio were among the fishermen aboard F/B Nicole Louise 2 over the weekend. When the boat sank somewhere in the Visayan Sea, Caratao said he survived by clinging to the side of a raft, others by grabbing onto whatever floated. Caratao said he saw a dolphin, which was about the size of an adult human, drag and push Cesdorio, 34, toward Burias Island. Unfortunately, neither Cesdorio nor the dolphin survived, he added. Cesdorio was among the 24 fishermen from Negros Occidental who were confirmed dead by local authorities, bringing the death toll in the province to 34. The Philippine Coast Guard also reported founding 135 typhoon survivors, some of whom were already reunited with their families. After the storm, local residents found the dead bodies of Cesdorio and the dolphin, which were buried on the island. But the owner of the fishing boat that sank, Alan Daniel, later had the bodies of Cesdorio and four other fishermen who died to be exhumed and brought back to their families. The story of the dolphin’s heroism was corroborated by other survivors who were aboard the Nicole Louise 2. One of them told local radio reporters that because of what he witnessed, he vowed never to eat dolphin meat again. Local fishing boat owners continue to dispatch other vessels toward the Visayan Sea, where there are reported sightings of survivors out at sea. Authorities said there are still 110 persons on their missing-persons list, and they hope they will continue to find survivors in the coming days. More than 490 people across the Philippines have died and at least a million others were left homeless by Typhoon Frank. The death toll does not include those who perished in the MV Princess of the Stars, which capsized off Sibuyan Island on Saturday with about 850 people aboard. -- With AFP

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All they need is love

The Aucklander

All they need is love

LAURA, FRONT, WITH BIG BROTHER SAMUEL AND SISTER ALANA - PHOTO: KELLIE BLIZARD (Source: NewsPix)

Debrin Foxcroft meets the amazing Blow family who are overcoming enormous challenges
positively

At the finish line, there was a tall, smiling boy welcoming competitors. At almost 2m, 13-year-old Samuel Blow towered above the participants inf the Cure Kids Great Adventure Race.

But he's not running. Despite his strapping stature, too much physical activity could seriously hurt him.
Samuel has Marfan's syndrome, which affects the skeletal system, heart, eyes and skin.

His sister, Alana, also has the disease. And his mum. His uncle and grandfather died from causes related to the congenital disease.

Another sister, Laura, has Down syndrome and has been diagnosed with leukaemia.

This is a family that has faced enormous challenges from the outset, but they have come away laughing.
Hannah and Chris Blow, of Pakuranga, knew the risks of having children before they were conceived.

``Marfan's is a dominant gene,' explains Mrs Blow.
``There was a 50 per cent chance the children would inherit it.'

She cannot imagine not having the children.
``I decided, for me, that Marfan's wasn't going to be a problem.'
She knew that if her children were born with the syndrome there would be annual heart monitoring and the likelihood of open heart surgery. But they would be a family and that, in itself, was enough.

``I think it's hardest for the boys (in general). They are not allowed to play sport.' Because of his height, Samuel is regularly asked if he is on a basketball team.
``He is forever saying, `No, I'm not allowed'.'

Laura, who is now six-years-old, was a curve ball.
At 28-years-old, Mrs Blow wasn't in the risk group for Down syndrome. Then there was the 2006 diagnosis of leukaemia.

``She had been sick for a little bit but, even if you suspect it, it's still devastating.'

Of four children, Emma, who is nine, is the only one without Marfan's or Down syndrome. But that doesn't make life easier.
``Poor Emma. It's not easy being a sibling.'

And, while this year, Emma was looking forward to a
busy year of school, ice skating and other activities, she has just been diagnosed with glandular fever.
If it's not one thing for this family, it's another.

Mr Blow took time off work because of stress last year and was recently diagnosed with ulcers.
Meanwhile, Laura had a stress fracture in her left ankle which is now in a cast.

``We survive everything by not looking back and we have learned to enjoy the moments. The kids know that they are different but they don't let it stop them.'

Mrs Blow admits to having lost some empathy for the problems other people have with their children, particularly as Laura has undergone so many surgical procedures.

Parents have come to her, worrying about their child's first experience with anaesthesia.
``Our reality is that I just don't have time to worry. When the kids are at the doctors or Laura needs surgery, I think, `it just has to be done'.'

This family, however, is anything but sealed indoors by their difficulties.
As well as activities such as theatre sports and Sea Scouts for Samuel, Brownies for Emma and Pippens for Alana, the children are all involved with charity groups such as Cure Kids.

They are ambassadors for the organisation, and attend events like the recent Great Adventure Race through the Waitakere Ranges.
At the April gathering, $590,000 was raised boosting Cure Kids research efforts.

Copyright © 2008, APN Holdings NZ Ltd
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Kamal Courageous

Kamal courageous

Govinda Regmi

Aradhana Pradhan being treated in a hospital in Pokhara after she was rescued from a gorge on Wednesday. (Right) Elated Kamal Nepali in a procession after rescuing Aradhana. Girl rescued from 60-feet gorge after 22 hours Pokhara, June 25: In a rare act of bravery, a 13-year-old boy rescued a two-and-a-half-year old girl, who had fallen into a Seti river gorge at Nayagaun of Pokhara yesterday. The boy, Kamal Nepali, rescued Aradhana Pradhan of Pokhara Birauta at 12 pm today, 22 hours after she fell into the gorge. Nepali was assisted in his mission by a Nepal Canoeing Association team, Nepal Police, Army, Armed Police Force and locals. The canoeing team had come all the way from Kathmandu to rescue the girl, who had fallen into the gorge at 2 pm yesterday. The army, police and technical experts had given up hope of rescuing the girl, but the boy went down into the gorge with the help of a rope and rescued the girl, who was stuck at a depth of 60 feet, half an hour later. “I saw Aradhana lying flat with her face down. I put her in a basket and took her out,” Nepali said. Kamal sustained minor injuries on his left leg and was administered oxygen at the Manipal Hospital. The locals had put up tents at the site throughout the night to help the security personnel and rescue team. Born in an impoverished farming family in Tutunga of Pokhara, Kamal is the youngest son of Nil Bahadur and Man Kumari Nepali and a first-grader at the Siddha secondary school here. The waiting masses took out Kamal Nepali in a procession at the Pokhara bazaar after the rescue act. Aradhana had come with her parents to the Seti banks for a cremation. The girl’s father John Pradhan said her daughter probably fell into the gorge when he was consoling the bereaved family. John is a Christian pastor. The girl is now undergoing treatment in Manipal teaching hospital. The hospital said the girl would be treated for free, adding that she was recovering. Aradhana’s parents have pledged to adopt Kamal Nepali. Birauta-based Shishu Niketan boarding school announced free schooling for Kamal up to grade X. Donations have been pouring from different parts of the country for this braveheart. A sum of Rs 45,000 had been collected as of this evening. COPYRIGHT@ 2004 THE HIMALAYAN TIMES PUBLICATION. All rights reserverd

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Quake-surviving tourist recalls Chinese generosity amid tragedy

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	The Japan Times Printer Friendly Articles Quake-surviving tourist recalls Chinese generosity amid tragedy By RENE CHEN Kyodo News LOS ANGELES (Kyodo) Lisa Takahashi, a student from the University of Southern California studying in Hong Kong, was on a tour bus headed to the Jiuzhaigou Valley Scenic and Historic Interest Area in China's Sichuan Province when the 7.9-magnitude quake hit in May. Lisa Takahashi The chaos and ensuing destruction made its impact, but it was the hospitality of the people she encountered that left a lasting impression. A week after returning to the United States, Takahashi, 21, talked of her experience. A holder of dual citizenship from both the United States and Japan, Takahashi remembers the moment the powerful temblor made her no longer a mere tourist, but a survivor. As she was chatting with friends who accompanied her on the trip, the driver suddenly slammed on the brakes and the windows facing the mountainside shattered as falling rocks struck the bus. Confused about what had just transpired, Takahashi got off the bus and saw that the road the bus had been traveling on just a second ago was gone, covered in a massive pile of rock and rubble. She had narrowly escaped being buried alive. "We thought it was a landslide and thought that help would be on its way in a matter of hours," she said. "The next hour though, we felt more aftershocks and realized that it was an earthquake." After meeting more busloads of tourist survivors nearby, the shaken party of about 200 made their way to a small village of about five households in the rural mountain area. The villagers, who lived in "handmade houses that looked like cement blocks" and which were damaged, could have easily turned them away. Instead, they lent the tourists blankets to stay warm and gave them what little food they had. "I couldn't believe how they gave up their food and supplies, considering how much they had for themselves," Takahashi said. The villagers fed the survivors porridge of rice and water twice a day. This would basically be their only source of water and food for the next two days. When the cold started taking its toll on the underdressed Takahashi, an elderly villager lent her a jacket that looked and felt precious. "I later found out that the handmade garment was a special jacket that women of that region wear after they get married," she said. Since she was sleeping in a field sprayed with fertilizer, Takahashi wanted to return the jacket in fear of ruining it. The woman refused. "She wouldn't let me give it back to her," Takahashi remembered. "She wanted me to stay warm." Forty-eight hours later, however, Takahashi and her party realized they could not burden the poor village any longer. "We knew how much water and food the villagers had. We quickly ran out of the snacks and water we had, and our stay was straining the villagers." As Takahashi and her friends cautiously trekked down to the nearby town of Mao Xian, they had to deal with the constant fear of falling rocks and aftershocks. She passed a couple of cars with drapes over the drivers seat, covering what she was told were corpses. When the party finally arrived at Mao Xian, the residents and volunteers welcomed them with smiles, cups of tea and steamed buns. "The moment we got on the main street and saw a smile on the faces of people who were walking along, that was when I took my first sigh of relief," she recalled. In times of extreme adversity, Takahashi saw tourists, residents and volunteers helping each other, despite differences in nationality and language. "It was just a matter of what we could offer them and what they could offer us," she said. "It was kind of hard because we didn't have much (material offerings), but they still looked out for us. "I want to go back to China one day to thank those who helped me when they had nothing to gain by doing what they did. I want to thank them in person, especially the villagers who had so little and yet did so much for us." The Japan Times: Wednesday, June 25, 2008 (C) All rights reserved

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Pupil decides to act against Xenophobia

Pupil decides to act against Xenophobia By Botho Molosankwe Grant Coller is only 13 years old but when xenophobic violence erupted, leaving thousands of foreigners displaced, this Northcliff youngster took action. After seeing all the visuals of people who had been beaten, killed and chased away from their homes, he wanted to help the victims and decided to make a difference. A raffle, he thought, would be the best way to make money, and he targeted his peers at Cliffview Primary School after his father helped him draw up some raffle sheets. 'What's nice about this is that kids paid out of their own pocket money' After making his decision and letting the principal know about his intention, Grant took the podium at the school assembly one morning and told his fellow pupils that he was raising funds for the xenophobic violence victims and was going to hold a raffle. A ticket was R3, but they could get three for R5. The prizes were two netball balls and two soccer balls. After that, the work began. Grant, who had only four days to raise the money, had to juggle his studies with collecting the raffle money. As the violence happened during the exams, he did not want to bother the teachers who had a lot on their plates at the time. Money started trickling in - 20c, 10c - it all went towards the fund. Although he admits that it was hard, Grant said he was proud of himself. He came up with the whole idea and did everything himself. In the end, Grant raised R3 000 - all of which he has donated to The Star's xenophobia fund. "I think I've done quite a lot and what's nice about this is that kids paid out of their own pocket money," said the Grade 7 pupil. His mother, Michelle, said Grant had been terribly upset by the visuals on the violence. "He had only four days and it took a toll on him, but never once did he complain. He was focused and did it maturely. I am a very proud mom," 42-year-old Michelle said. Grant, whose parents helped him count the coins, lambasted xenophobia and its perpetrators. This article was originally published on page 7 of The Star on June 23, 2008 Published on the Web by IOL on 2008-06-23 05:51:00 © Independent Online 2005. All rights reserved. IOL publishes this article in good faith but is not liable for any loss or damage caused by reliance on the information it contains.

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Pregnant woman rescued in quake delivers baby named 'Love'

www.chinadaily.com.cn

June 23, 2008

Pregnant woman rescued in quake delivers baby named 'Love'

(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-06-19 12:46

Urumqi -- A little over a month ago, Zhang Xiaoyan lay in the rubble of her earthquake-shattered apartment building. Trapped for more than 50 hours, she prayed for the life of her unborn child.

"Even if I didn't make it, I just wanted my baby to survive," she said. "I was holding out hope during the earthquake that this day would come."

Zhang Xiaoyan kisses her newborn daughter at a hospital in Urumqi, Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, June 18, 2008. [Chengdu Business Daily]

That day was Wednesday, when Zhang's daughter was born by Caesarean section in the Urumqi Maternal Care Hospital. Hours later, Zhang said as she reclined next to her newborn baby, a rosy-cheeked infant swaddled in a pink floral blanket.

Zhang's dramatic rescue in the town of Dujiangyan, captured in photos and video footage that made their way around the globe, was a rare bright spot after the May 12 earthquake that ravaged mountainous Sichuan province and killed almost 70,000 people.

Emergency workers trying not to bring down the rest of the pancaked, seven-story building pulled out Zhang, 35. A bulldozer had to raise its scoop 18 feet (6 meters) so workers could lay her in it. As they did, a rescuer raised a thumbs-up to the crowd of neighbors, who cheered and clapped.

The image of the eight-month pregnant Zhang being carried on a stretcher, her stomach protruding from under a blue sweater and pink pants, was played on TV screens and newspapers across China as well as in media abroad. Her 63-year-old mother also was pulled out alive.

Zhang Xiaoyan, who is eight months pregnant, is pulled alive on May 14, 2008, from an apartment that partially collapsed following the May 12 quake in Dujiangyan, Southwest China's Sichuan Province. [Agencies]

"When we were stuck in the debris there, I just held on to the hope that we would share this time we have here now," said Zhang, who remarkably suffered only superficial injuries. "Because we were buried in there, we didn't know if we'd ever get out, and I was just thinking, 'Save my child. Save my child.'"

Zhang named her 7-pound, 4-ounce (3.3-kilogram) girl "Ai," or "Love," in honor of the rescuers and other strangers who have showered her with kindness, gifts and VIP treatment since she was pulled out of the wreckage.

Because Zhang spent 50 hours trapped in the partially collapsed building, doctors said her unborn child initially suffered some dehydration and low blood sugar. By the time of her birth Wednesday, however, she had improved and doctors said she was healthy.

Before Ai was born, Zhang said that if her child was a boy, "I'd like to train him to be a pilot or a rescue worker, because they are the ones that saved us and gave us a second chance at life. If it is a girl baby, I would also want to teach her to be a useful person that helps people in need."

Zhang Xiaoyan, who is eight months pregnant, is pulled alive on May 14, 2008, from an apartment that partially collapsed following the May 12 quake in Dujiangyan, Southwest China's Sichuan Province. [Agencies]

Because of the publicity stemming from her rescue, Zhang became something of a celebrity. She was flown first-class from Sichuan to Urumqi, located in her home region of Xinjiang in China's southwest, and was given a private room in the maternity hospital.

Doctors and nurses, who clearly were moved by Zhang's saga, donated clothing to her and her mother to replace items lost in the quake. The staff also gave gifts for the baby: clothes, a stroller, a tiny bathtub, bottles, shampoo, lotion and wipes. Her room also contained gifts of fruit and a bowl of hard-boiled eggs, dyed red for good luck.

On Wednesday, Zhang was still a bit groggy from the Caesarean section, but she spoke briefly by telephone with her husband, Pan Yuncheng, who remains in a makeshift camp in Dujiangyan. The phone call was set up by a local radio station.

"I want to thank all the people that were helpful. It was very moving," he said in the conversation as his daughter gave out a loud yell over the phone.

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Help my son hear again says mum

Help my son hear again says mum
By MANDEEP SINGH Published: 23rd June 2008 A DISTRAUGHT mother has appealed in desperation for help for her 14-year-old son, who has gone almost completely deaf. Nabeela Aziz needs more than BD25,000 for a cochlear implant to restore her son Hanook's hearing. The Pakistani teenager developed high fever and flu in July last year and was treated with antibiotics at Salmaniya Medical Complex. He developed hearing problems almost as soon as he came out of hospital, says Ms Aziz. Ms Aziz and her husband Aziz Masih have been told his only hope is a cochlear implant, but this surgery is done only for Bahrainis at the hospital. "We are told it would cost more than BD25,000 if we are to travel abroad, but even to think about that amount is way beyond us," said Ms Aziz. She said her husband, a driver in a private company, earned barely BD150 a month and they can just about manage to make ends meet. "Hanook started complaining of a heaviness in his right ear after he came back home and was cured of his fever, but we thought it was the after-effects of the flu," said Ms Aziz. "Gradually, when he started saying he was unable to hear, we took him to the hospital, where doctors shocked us by saying he would require a hearing aid." Hanook, a Pakistan Urdu School student, was so upset that he even refused to use a hearing aid. "He started to use one later, but soon his condition deteriorated so much that the aid became useless," said Ms Aziz. She said he was then taken to the American Mission Hospital (AMH) where doctors, after a battery of tests, concluded his hearing was "on the decline" and that he should undergo a cochlear implant as soon as possible. "They even warned his speech would start getting affected if immediate intervention did not take place," said Ms Aziz. "We have again invested in another hearing aid but even that is useless now." Hanook stopped going to school one month ago because he was unable to cope. "He is in agony and unable to come to terms with the fact that he is unable to hear," said his mother. "We cannot bear to see him suffer. He is now unable to do all those things he has been doing for the last 13 years - like watching television or listening to music." She said she and her husband were afraid to even let go of Hanook's hand outside the house. "He cannot hear traffic and is completely clueless to what is going on around him," said Ms Aziz. AMH ear, nose and throat specialist Dr E Krishnan says in a medical certificate that there is nothing more that doctors in Bahrain can do. "His hearing nerves have probably been affected and all treatment options in Bahrain have been exhausted," he said. "He needs an immediate cochlear implant to help him hear again." Mr Masih said his employers had been extremely generous in helping him with some of the formalities regarding Hanook's illness. "But there is a limit to what they can do," he said. Mr Masih met and married Ms Aziz in Bahrain almost 17 years ago and the couple have another son, 16-year-old Sagar. Ms Aziz was born and brought up in Bahrain. Her father, a former policeman and her mother still stay in the country. Anyone wishing to get in touch with Ms Aziz can do so on her mobile number 36865188. mandeep@gdn.com.bh
© Gulf Daily News

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