Junnel Diwata: A boy without a voice

Author's Note: Junnel Diwata has undergone the preliminary examinations and as of this time, he only needs financial assistance to be operated, be able to speak again after the operation. Any amount will do. Please donate. Let's all have the heart to bring happiness back to the life of Junnel. 

I also want to thank one of Times editor for doing a superb job with this article. This is the uncut version of the published story. Photos by Jessie Laureta. 

The tube on Junnel's neck needs to be replaced so that he can speak again. 

Imagine yourself not being able to speak. Just the thought of it is enough to scare someone. True, one can communicate in other ways—sign language, jotting messages on a piece of paper, even facial expressions and body language—but there is something about the voice that conveys not just words, but also emotions. “Thank you”, “I’m sorry”, “I love you”—these common phrases come across much more effectively when spoken.

12-year-old Junnel Diwata of Makati City would love to say these and more to his mother Marilyn, who works as a saleslady at a cellphone loading station, and grandmother Edita Queras, who drives a tricycle for a living. Unfortunately, he can’t, and not because he is mute. It is because he has a tube attached to his neck.

How did he end up with it?

According to Queras, Junnel was only five when he started having breathing difficulties. She added that because their family is poor, his frequent gasping fits were often ignored.

But one such fit had Junnel almost turning black from lack of air. Frightened by his condition, Marilyn and Queras brought him to the Makati Medical Center (MMC). There, doctors diagnosed him with severe inflammation and obstruction of the larynx—the voice box—which is located in the neck and houses the vocal chords.

Doctors weren’t too optimistic: they gave Junnel a 50/50 chance for survival and promptly placed him in intensive care. Miraculously, he pulled through, but not without scars: the damage to his larynx was so bad that he underwent direct laryngoscopy and tracheoscopy, in which a tracheostomy tube was attached to his throat. As a result, he couldn’t produce intelligble words—only muffled sounds—every time he tries to talk.

Even worse, he no longer breathes through his nose or mouth, but through the tube itself.

Junnel (left) and Lola Edita. 

Struggling to survive

Queras recalled how difficult it was—is—for them to get the money for Junnel’s continued treatment. She explained that they have to produce around P3,000 every time his tube needs to be replaced, adding that she often had to borrow money for it, since she only earns between P300 to P400 a day.

She also feels obligated to feed Marilyn, whose drug-addicted and often jobless husband abandoned her last year, and her six children. Sometimes, she and her tricycle driver-husband—when he’s not sick—hand their earnings to them even if it means having nothing for themselves.

Queras clearly loves Junnel. She related how she mad she gets whenever her other grandchildren make fun of him. “Nasasaktan ako. Nagagalit ako [I feel hurt. I get mad],” she said. On one such occasion, she had snapped: “Paano kung kayo kaya ang nasa kalagayan niya [What if you were in his place]?”

“Sana bago magpantay ang mga paa ko, makita ko siyang magsalita [I hope I get to see Junnel talk again before half of my feet are buried in the ground],” she said.

Back to school

The tube not only cost Junnel his voice, but also the chance to continue his education.

Queras told The Manila Times that he stopped going to school six, seven years ago—he was a Grade One student at the time—because “inaaway siya ng mga kaklase niya [his classmates pick fights with him].” She added that sometimes he would just sit in a corner, while at other times he would fight back. The family then decided that he would stop attending classes just to avoid the bullying.

But last year, he let his grandmother know that he wants to study again.

At first, Queras asked the F. Benitez Elementary School—Junnel’s former school—if he can come back. The school refused to accept him again. She then went to a deaf-mute school, which also refused because it said that her grandson is not mute. 

Ever determined, she then asked the Department of Education for help in this matter. Thanks to the department’s intervention, Junnel’s former school eventually readmitted him. However, Queras described his enrolment as “saling pusa” because he has no formal school records.

Returning as a Grade One student, his current classmates now call him kuya [big brother] because he’s the eldest in class. But he doesn’t mind: he still enjoys school. In fact, he is also considered the teacher’s pet because he often helps out the class adviser. 

Ida Rafols (from left), Junnel, Lola Edita, and me doing the interview. 

Angels on earth

Glad as Queras is that Junnel is studying again, she knows that they cannot entirely shoulder his medical expenses. On June 22, 2009, the MMC estimated that an operation—one that will enable him to speak again—that includes direct laryngoscopy with dilation of tracheal stenosis and tracheobronchospy, shall cost about P28,700. Plus, the accompanying medication shall amount to about P13,600. 

She then went to the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) for assistance in this regard. But she realized that the PCSO’s requirements will only compel them to spend more money, thus forcing her to drop the matter altogether.

Fortunately, someone took notice of Junnel’s plight: Rotary Club of Makati North (RCMN) volunteer Ida Rafols learned about him during one of the feeding programs sponsored by the organization at his school.

Moved by his situation, Rafols had Junnel brought to the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) instead of the MMC. Since then, she and his family went to his check-ups together. She sometimes even uses her own money to pay for the consultations if Marilyn and Queras found themselves short on cash. 

During one such check-up, the RCMN volunteer related to The Times that that she couldn’t forget how Junnel smiled when the doctor told them he could speak again despite the tube attached to his throat. 

Indeed, Rafols has taken the first step in realizing Junnel’s wish to speak again. But he needs more people like her—like you—for that to happen. He needs good, generous people who are willing to shoulder the costs of his operation. The reward shall be priceless: hearing a once-voiceless boy finally say “I love you” to his mother and grandmother and a heartfelt “thank you” to those who helped him—and that may include you.

For those who wish to donate, please do so through the Rotary Club of Makati North’s current account (account number: 00123 001515 5) at Union Bank’s SSS Ayala Branch.