Brailler for Princess Cythera

My very good friend, a healthcare worker here in the Philippines, Marjorie Almonte delivered a 7.3 pound baby girl on the 27th day of October 2011. She named her Princess Cythera Almonte Camota. She was born with a congenital condition called CAH (Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia). CAH occurs when the adrenal glands are unable to produce hormones normally, leading to a hormone imbalance.CAH can be life threatening if not properly treated. They found out about it through newborn screening. Baby Cy was given a medication to control her hormonal imbalance which is hydrocortisone tablet (a steroidal drug of choice for CAH because it has lesser side effects than Prednisone for prolonged use). Because this drug works by weakening the immune system, it lowers her ability to fight infections. This made her get a serious (almost fatal) infection and that it eventually made any infection worse. A simple mouth sore worsen and that the family almost lost her. The infection did not stop in her mouth but spread on to her nose and eyes that caused her to lose her eyesight. When the infection healed, it created contractures along her lips, cavities of her nose and her cornea. She was then diagnosed as clinically blind by her doctor at Philippine General Hospital. After a year, she slowly recovered and became healthier than before. No more episodes of hormonal imbalance and no more regular admission to the hospital.

Because of her visual impairment, mama Marjorie looked for a school in their locality that may help Princess Cy. She learned about the SPED (Special Education) school and at 2 years old, she was enrolled in Oroquieta City Central Elementary School SPED Center, a public school system for children with special needs. She was taught how to take care of herself despite her disability. She is now 8 years old and in Grade 3. She uses Braille System (Braille is a tactile writing system used by people who are visually impaired) to help her read and write. Through the use of braille, people who are blind are able to review and study the written word. It provides a vehicle for literacy and gives an individual the ability to become familiar with spelling, paragraphing and other formatting considerations. Advancing to higher Grade level, she was taught to use a brailler (a mechanical device for writing braille). The brailler available at school is old and defective that makes it hard for her to type smoothly.

This funding initiative is created to raise funds for Princess Cythera's own Brailler to help her with her studies and at school. Marjorie Almonte (Princess Cy's mother) was a single mother when she had Princess and I saw how she bravely fought for her daughter's life. Even today, she is continually fighting for Princess to get the best and closest to normal life she can get despite her condition. I saw her struggle for her family and seeing her disappointment with Princess Cythera's frustration using a very old and defective Brailler is heartbreaking.

We are humbly asking for any amount you can spare for her own Brailler. Please help us as well by sharing this to reach out as many kindhearted individual. We will forever be thankful for your help (cash or just by sharing this initiative).

Thank you and God bless!