Category: Inspiration

This post has been long over due. There are a lot of people that I’m grateful to with regards to the fight against Pompe. Among them are the patients and family who go the extra mile to fight for other Pompe patients. Often, spending their own time and resources in order to improve the lives of Pompe patients around the world.

Early this February several patients, family members and other members of the Pompe community trooped to the FDA to appeal to them for the approval of Myozyme. The AMDA had prepared a short video composed of several testimonies from patients appealing to the FDA to approve Myozyme for use of all patients.

The meeting between the Pompe delegation and the FDA lasted a little over an hour. The video was shown and the delegates were given time to express their own views. A question and answer also followed. I was told that as a whole it was a good meeting.

I was also flattered that one of the delegates, Tiffany who also happens to be a friend of mine wore the Fight Pompe shirt I made. She also read a short message from me towards the end of the meeting. I’m glad that she did that. In a way, it was my small contribution to the Fight.

There are a lot of people that are content to stand by the sidelines and let things be the way they are. Not these people, not these heroes. They actively participate in trying to make a difference in the lives of others for this I am grateful. I am heartened and hopeful of the future because there are people like these who continue to fight and make a difference.

_from left to right Ross and J.R. Harvey, Marsha Zimmerman, Randall, Marylyn and Tiffany House_

When faced with a difficult situation such as dealing with Pompe, it helps to draw inspiration from people or things around you. It’s something that I’ve been doing in the past. First drawing inspiration from my family (mom, dad, brother and other members) and then from other things. One of the recent ones is the world famous Filipino boxer Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao.

In a nail bitting match last Sunday (Saturday Las Vegas Time), Manny defeated legendary Mexican boxer Erik Morales in a 10th round TKO.

Boxing is a big sport here in the Philippines. It’s one sport that we Filipinos are quite good at. Although most of our boxers are in the lighter categories or classifications. That being said, the whole country was glued to the T.V. set watching the much anticipated bout.

I mean literally the streets were desserted during the fight. The local police even touted the fact that crime was nill during the match.

What inspired me about Manny was the route he had to take in order to become the world champion that he is. He hails from a poor family in “General Santos City”:http://www.wowgeneralsantos.com/. He used to be a laborer before entering boxing. From there his career rose until he became world champion.

I also loved the fact that every time he’d start a fight, he’d go down on his knees and pray to ask God for help.

He’s a gracious winner as evidenced by his actions after the bout. Giving credit where credit is due and giving his respect to Erik Morales. He acknowledged that Morales was a great fighter and that he also had difficulty in beating him.

To the Pacman, congratulations for a great fight, for giving our country something to cheer about in this desperate of times, for uniting our people even for that short while. You make us proud to be Filipino!