7 years had passed and the memories still lingers. I will never forget those days of too much pain, struggles and we are all fighting for his life. We just can’t thank our Lord enough for having children not just one but three lovely angels brought here in this world.

April 12, 2012 at 10:42 pm Yvan was born prematurely and immediately rushed to the nearest hospital. I was not aware of what is the situation during this time. I am sedated yet I knew there was something wrong because it felt just so different at the time I am giving birth to our baby boy. Nobody was telling me exactly what is happening. I am scared and crying for the thing I am not yet sure of. After 24 hours, I got a message from the hospital, “Mrs. Calimlim, we are sorry to tell you that Yvan is not doing well, hindi po siya makahinga ng maayos due to hindi nadevelop ang kanyang baga since he was born prematurely. We hope na makasurvive po siya.” I will never forget this message.

Immediately, against medical advice I rushed to the hospital and habol ko ang oras na baka hindi ko na makita pa si Yvan. I am bleeding too much while nasa biyahe ako and I was crying on my way.

My poor boy, Yvan is suffering. He was diagnosed to have different medical conditions; I can only recall sepsis and respiratory infections which he needs to be breathing with the use of mechanical ventilator. Andami pang pinagdaananan na hirap kasama na diyan na walang equipments and medicines which costs P30,000 per vial. That time, we used all our savings in a snap na nawala lahat and kulang parin.

After 2 months, it is also against medical advice, we decided to bring Yvan home. Thinking na, if God will not let Yvan survive this battle, anytime soon kukuhanin niya na si Yvan sa amin. Hindi kami binigo ni Lord.

June 2012 – Yvan was finally home. 24/7 naka oxygen siya. Nang marinig niya ang mga tawanan ng kanyang 2 kapatid, unti unti nakakakita ng liwanag sa kanyang mukha at these helps na makarecover siya ng bahagya. Kuya Yuri and Ate Yana always make Yvan smile everyday. Wala mang sound ang tawa ni Yvan that time, kita mo sa kanya na masaya siya.

He was diagnosed with Broncho Pulmonary Dysplasia, “Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is a form of chronic lung disease that affects newborns (mostly premature) and infants. It results from damage to the lungs caused by mechanical ventilation (respirator) and long-term use of oxygen. Most infants recover from BPD, but some may have long-term breathing difficulty.”

Those years had passed anak, many had witnessed how you suffer and fight your battle against your condition. Thank you for not giving up and higit sa lahat hindi mo kami iniwan. Everyday, I am crying and praying na maging okay na ang lahat. Maaring sinasabi ng iba na sobra na hirap ng pinagdadaaanan mo na baka kailangan ko na sumuko para hindi kana mahirapan. You are a fighter anak kaya ilalaban kita sa kahit na anong paraan na kaya ko o namin ng daddy mo. Sorry if kinailangan mong pagdaananan lahat ng hirap. God has a plan and yun ay ang buyahin ka at makasama ka namin ng matagal. May God give us longer life para makasama pa kita, maalagaan and maging sure ako na pwede na kita iwanan. Lagi ko lang dasal ang iyong full recovery and lumaki kang God fearing child.

At ito ang pinang hahawakan ko since the day you were born anak. We are able to wean his off sa oxygen ng matagal na panahon na. Yet, whenever he is being hospitalized palaging naka abang ang oxygen kasi nababa ang kanyang oxygen saturation.

Yvan’s Challenges:

At the age of 3, he was diagnosed with bilateral hearing loss and at this early age, he is using hearing aid na. Yet, he is not mute.

He is 2 years old delayed sa normal na bata with Global Delay Disorder and autism.

His specialist advice, andiyan lang ang BPD niya. Damaged na kasi ang lungs niya, the reason why mahirap siyang tumaba. So far, kahit payat siya I am proud to say na napalakas ko na ang immunity niya kasi matagal narin naman ang gap na nagkakasakit siya and napaka active na bata. And dahil yan kay Lord.

How does Yvan cope and coping?

Whenever may magtatanong sa akin pano at ang galing ng anak ninyo, it doesn’t show na nahihirapan siya and he is surviving. Eto lang palagi ko sagot, we never gave up on him. Faith kay Lord na hindi kailanman ko napagdudahan kung bakit nangyari ito kay Yvan. Naniniwala ako sa himala na ibinigay niya sa aming pamilya. At maraming pagmamahal.

Normal ba siyang nabubuhay?

Yes. Gaya ng ibang bata na mahilig maglaro, I let him explore kung ano meron sa labas ng bahay. Although napakalaking challenge sa amin na hayaan siya on his own na sa takot na makakuha siya ng sakit at dahil madali siya mahawa. We let him enjoy life. Nakakaproud na nasa nursery na siya now. He loves watching videos about Papa Jesus, swimming, mag drawing at magsayaw. Magaling narin ang eye and hand coordination niya. Hindi man siya makapagsalita ng derecho pero ramdam ko kakayanin niya na and magiging maayos ang lahat.

We will always be grateful and thankful sa mga taong tumulong sa amin noon na nasa hospital pa kami. You know all who you are. Palagi kong dasal na God will always shower you more blessings. Good health para sa inyong lahat and happiness.

I hope this story make you believe that there is a miracle. Maniwala lang tayo and ibibigay niya yan sa tamang panahon.

God bless us all.

I am guilty that sometimes our family are being malnutrition trapped. I didn’t realized such things like those. My boys are petite and thin. Nasa genes namin ang payat sa pagkabata kahit nakain ng tama sa oras and I make sure na healthy naman yet it’s very important to know na hindi dahil sapat ay healthy na lahat. May tamang sukat sa when it comes to portioned meals.

And because breakfast is a very important meal of the day let’s not skip any of it especially for our children. Lalo na if you are a rice person, they say anything sobra is not good for our body. ‘Wag tayong maging “unlirice” family. You’ll see why below.

Meron palang tinatawag na, “puro carbs and mababa sa protein” thought of I am giving enough kasi I am following the food pyramid somehow. Thankful sa Ajinomoto Community because they are here to help solve the concerns of every Filipino family.

Filipino family facing underweight and overweight

Yes for more than 20 year we are facing such dilemna. The World Health Organization (WHO) defined this phenomenon as the “Double Burden of Malnutrition” or the“prevalence of both under nutrition and overweight in the same community, nation, or region.”

Philippine Government Solution

Pinggang Pinoy®, an easy-to-understand food guide showing proper food group portioning per-meal basis was launched in 2014 and also reflects the principles of moderation, variety and balance or called (MoVaBa) to promote healthier eating habits. Hoping that this could solve the problem.

Solving Double Burden’s of Malnutrition

And because this is a long term concern, upon giving the solution to solve the Philippines’ Double Burden of Malnutrition, it should be a collaborative effort between the public and private sectorsas it is not an easy feat. In line with this, Ajinomoto Philippines Corporation partnered with government agencies to conduct education programs to raise awareness and promote the practice of Pinggang Pinoy® in malnutrition hotspots, where incidences of Double Burden Malnutrition are high. This training was given to homemakers/mothers who have malnourished (underweight, stunting, wasting, overweight and obese) school-aged children”.

The Final Result

“The pilot run resulted to improvements of the knowledge & attitudes of households related to the practice of PinggangPinoy® within target areas. However, behavior changes towards healthier eating habits remains to be a challenge. The program uncovered a number #MalnutritionTraps that some Pinoy households easily fall into”.

“The following#MalnutritionTraps provide a picture of how unhealthy eatinghabits may lead to Double Burden of Malnutrition”.

1. Overconsumption of carbohydrates: Voracious rice eaters can easily fill half of their plates with rice. Others have pandesal & noodles as regular meal deprived of other nutrients derived from a well-balanced meal.

 2. Under consumption of vegetables and/fruits: It is common for some to be content with rice & meat to satisfy their hunger and skip/take insufficient amount of vegetables/fruits. Fact is, the variety of colors found in Glow foods are important sources of vitamins & minerals to sustain our energy & keep us from getting sick.

3. Overconsumption of protein: Typical Filipino “SILOG” mealsinclude double serving of proteins (e.g. Tapa+Itlog, Tocino+Itlog, Longanisa+Itlog, Bangus+Itlog). Eating different kinds of protein is fine for as long as they are taken in moderation. We must also avoid protein dishes served high in fat, cholesterol and sodium. 

More stories about #MalnutritionTraps can be referenced from these documentary videos.

Puro Carbs

Breakfast Skipper

Kulang sa Protina

Pamilya Unlirice

And because moms are the busiest person, we sometimes neglect to check if the meals we are preparing are properly portioned for our kids. Glad to share that Ajinomoto’s Culinary Nutrition Team prepared easy to do, healthy, delicious yet affordable meal for our family. Say for a family of 5, it will only cost you 250/day. This is to help many Filipino families be saved from #MalnutritionTraps.

PinggangPinoy® Recipes are downloadable through https://bit.ly/2HIsfkj. 

Want to hear and know more about Mag-Pinggang Pinoy®? visit www.ajinomoto.com.ph and facebook.com/CookmunitybyAjinomotoPH.

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The Ajinomoto Group is a global leader in amino acids thanks to its advanced bioscience and fine chemical technologies. Its products cover a range of fields such as seasonings, processed foods, beverages, amino acids, pharmaceuticals, and chemicals.

Since discovering “umami” (the fifth basic taste, created by glutamic acid, a type of amino acid) in 1908, we have been scientifically pursuing the possibilities of amino acids, and supporting the healthy lives of people all around the world. Based on our corporate message “Eat Well, Live Well” we aim for further growth and continuous contribution to greater wellness for people by creating value with communities and society.

The Ajinomoto Group has offices in 35 countries and regions, and sells products in more than 130 countries and regions. Its sales were 1.1502 trillion yen (10.3 billion U.S. dollars) in fiscal year 2017. To learn more, visit https://www.ajinomoto.com/.