One night, Hans Sy was watching TV with his late father, Henry Sy, Sr. He then saw a familiar figure in the person of Ricky Reyes, philanthropist and beauty guru, who was crying and pleading to the government to stop an eviction proceeding on a property. It was Reyes’ Child Haus, a temporary home for cancer-stricken children.
The scene was utterly horrible, but turned out to be the start of something that will change Sy’s life forever.
“When he explained the incident, I myself felt that children should not suffer like this, and then I told Ricky, ‘Can you show me where you moved them temporarily?’ When I went to the house it was so crowded and felt [that] this is not the right way. So immediately I decided to buy a house for them,” Hans recounted.
After just a few months, Hans handed the keys of the house he bought in Quezon City to Mother Ricky. The house served as a halfway home for the kids and their parents for more than three years. Later, as the occupancy increased, a bigger and better shelter was needed, but Hans did not hesitate in helping.
As Chairman of the Executive Committee of SM Prime, Hans bought a piece of land near the Philippine General Hospital and built a seven-storey building with his own money. It was then donated to Child Haus as their permanent home during Hans’ 60th birthday.
Hans’ philanthropic work with young cancer patients didn’t stop there. He would always ask his friends for donations to help fund Child Haus. His efforts made him part of the Child Haus family, where he is often called “Kuya Hans” every time he is there to celebrate his birthday.
Then COVID-19 happened so Hans chose to forego his celebration and prioritized the safety of everyone instead.
But to his surprise, Mother Ricky decided to throw a small and physically distanced celebration for Kuya Hans during the shelter’s 17th founding anniversary to thank him for all his hard work. Though hesitant, Hans saw that as an opportunity to advocate something very close to his heart.
“Though I thought it’s not the right time to celebrate because of the pandemic, a lot of sad things are happening all over the country and the world. But as I told my friends and our staff members, this is not the time to dread about problems but to look for opportunities, how to ease the situation not only for ourselves but also for people around us,” said Hans who just turned 65.
Continuing to champion the cause of cancer-stricken kids even during a pandemic
For 17 years already, Child Haus has been helping cancer-stricken kids with the support of generous donors like Hans and volunteers, where it was able to open its doors to more than 16,000 to 17,000 kids.
Everyday, the shelter caters to more than a hundred kids by providing for their needs and assisting them in their medications. But at the onset of the Enhanced Community Quarantine in Luzon, around 50 kids who went home to their provinces because they’re not yet scheduled for medication had problems in getting their treatment due to the suspension of public transportation and subsequent lockdowns so they can’t go back to Manila. And if they can be transported to Manila, no hospital would take them in due to the soaring number of COVID-19 cases in the city.
“The doctors talk to the parent who, in turn, talk to the nurses and doctors in the provinces on how to administer the kids’ medication. But we’re not even sure of that because they’re not oncologists,” said Mother Ricky who was holding back tears due to the problem that the pandemic has brought them.
For the hundred kids that were left in the shelter, Child Haus would call their doctors to coordinate their treatment, then Hans and other donors provided shuttle services to safely transport the kids to where their doctors are to receive the needed treatment. And because cancer-stricken kids are among the most vulnerable to COVID-19, Mother Ricky had to ensure that nobody would acquire the dreaded disease by strictly implementing safety measures.
“Despite the numerous challenges, we’re glad to say in [the] time of the pandemic, no one among the children perished from COVID-19,” said Mother Ricky during the anniversary event.
Dreaming big for the kids and humanity
During the said event, Mother Ricky and Child Haus launched a program to acknowledge the shelter’s heroes — the volunteers, donors, and benefactors who tirelessly extend their hands just to see that the needs of the kids are met. Called the One Dream For Humanity, this program establishes the core organization of the benefactors, volunteers, and donors like Hans Sy and the others.
“The donors and volunteers will be called ‘Dream Keepers.’ Our dream keepers never left us. They’ve always been with us all throughout,” said Mother Ricky.
A total of 20 individuals and organizations who served as donors and volunteers for Child Haus over 17 years were recognized during the said event. Among the dream keepers acknowledged were the Metro Manila Mayors’ Spouses Foundation Inc., Feed the Hungry Foundation, Rotary Club of Salcedo, Hi-Precision Diagnostic Center, and the Santisimo Rosario Chorale Group.
Mother Ricky encouraged everyone to go to the shelter and help the kids and their parents in any way they can. “Just go there, talk to the mothers, give them consolation that there’s hope in this world. That’s a big help already. To all those who want to help, just visit us at Child Haus and for sure, you’ll get entrance passes to heaven.”
As for Hans who was beaming in happiness as the kids virtually greeted him on his birthday, he reminded the kids of Child Haus about keeping an optimistic outlook in life, because even though life has many adversities, there is always a reason to be positive.
“What is best is to be strong, be positive, and look forward to life,” he concluded.
(Main photo (L-R): Ricky Reyes, Director of Child Haus; Hans Sy, Chairman of the Executive Committee of SM Prime; singer and actress Rita Daniela; and Carol Sy.)