hello.

this is robyn.

as of june 2009, she is one year and seven months old.

like any other kiddo her age, she loves to play. her favorite thing to do these days are running along the empty streets, digging holes in the yard and dragging pillows onto the floor. but her most favorite thing to do is dance! she has memorized the sequences to three of her lola‘s dance numbers.

she likes animals. but i think cats in particular. she always tries to chase and pet the house cat. her favorite movies are oliver and company, aristocats, and ice age, all of which have cats in major roles. she can sit through the whole film without diverting her attention. and when it’s done, she would ask to play it all over again!

she is not a picky eater, though we have to watch what she puts in her mouth. she loves her vegetables, fruits and fish!

with all these things, you’d never think she went through so much before she turned one.

you see, robyn was born with imperforate anus. she was born with no hole in her bum.

that’s right, there is such a thing, and it occurs in one in every 3,000-5,000 live births. at first, people thought i was joking. many people think it is ridiculous even. but it’s certainly no laughing matter.

poor baby

there are many other children like robyn. some with no hole in their bum (imperforate anus or i.a.), others whose colon do not function normally or do not move at all (hirschsprung’s disease). all these kids need to surmount numerous obstacles before they can enjoy a normal, healthy life. that’s why they need extra attention.

and their parents need extra support. that’s why a couple of us have found each other online.

colorectal philippines is a support group for parents of children with anorectal malformations. created by clarisse evangelista, whose son, tomas, now two and a half years old, was born with hirschsprung’s disease.

hi tomas!

our children had to go through a series of operations to get their systems functioning as they should. i can’t even begin to explain the tremendous joy at seeing normal poop for the first time!

poor baby tomas

we could use a lending hand here. we’d like to find more families with children like ours. or people like tomas or robyn.

so if you are a parent or a family member to colorectal children, or were one yourself, please contact us: http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/colorectal_parents_philippines/

email me: dasein.tessa@yahoo.com

or just leave a comment on this page. we’d be very happy to keep in touch!