The following is the story of Salvador Digan… affectionately known as Badong. In 2001 our mission was asked if we knew about this young man and his fight for survival…and if there was anything that we could do to assist him…When we found him at Cebu City Medical Centre we were shocked at the terrible condition that he was in. We took the team with us to see Badong and many were reduced to tears at the horrific and inhumane living conditions that we observed Badong to be in …however, a few of us were not moved to tears but filled with a strength and determination, that we know to be the heart of God, to see this situation changed …

After some investigation we found out that Badong had been tragically attacked by his mother, who in a moment of rage and confusion…poured gasoline on his back where he lay sleeping and ignited both him and the house. He was rushed to CCMC, the nearest public hospital, by a concerned neighbor, being over 2 hours away, having visited the little Provincial town that he came, we can only imagine the terrible agony that he must have been in as he traveled on the dirt road to the hospital…there is no burns unit at the medical facility…and the medical staff struggled to care for Badong’s special needs.

When we were first introduced to Badong the stench of his dressings and the filthy surroundings were overwhelming and many of our team were overcome with emotion…
however, a few of us were not moved to tears but filled with a strength and determination, that we knew to be the heart of God, to see this situation changed … now we had seen this, we bore a responsibility to do something … too many had seen, been moved and left…

He was severely malnourished…in constant pain…depressed, withdrawn and grossly deformed as a result of a contracture of the neck muscle…The hospital did not have the financial resources to provide Badong with his special high protein dietary requirements nor any of the intense medical treatment necessary for him to fully recover.

The incident occurred one year prior to us being involved….despite the efforts of the medical staff at CCMC Badong was deteriorating…they had attempted several skin grafts but due to his dietary deficiency his body just simply didn’t have the necessary supplies to heal…To be honest we really had no idea what we could do to assist him…but we knew we had to do something. We immediately set up a roster of visitors to go to CCMC taking in food and just spending time with him…his family had exhausted all of their financial resources and ashamed to face the medical staff and Badong they simply stayed away…hoping and praying that someone else would be able to help him.

After many attempts to find someone, somewhere that would care for Badong … our hopes were dashed, time after time things seemed to be set up for his much needed surgery and treatment … and then fall through. We never shared these ups and downs with Badong … we just always maintained that God was going to make a way where there was no way … and the bottom line … that is what we truly believed. We investigated three other countries that may be able to assist him … and as this lengthy process was going on his condition was deteriorating drastically. We were advised by one of the head doctors in charge of his case that unless he left the hospital and came to our Rescue House where we could provide him with his much needed nutritional and emotional care… it is sure that he would not survive in the hospital … this was quite an undertaking as we did not have a nurse that could care for his medical needs … and to be honest we were apprehensive of taking on such a huge responsibility, completely. After a time of prayer and consideration we took the plunge, signing Salvador out of the hospital and bringing him to the Rescue House …we were blessed with a number of doctors and nurses that guaranteed they would be at the house in a matter of minutes should something happen to Badong that we were not able to manage, that did provide us with some reassurance at least.

We were able to secure donations of food supplements from Abbotts and Bandages from Smith and Kline too … thank the Lord for the generosity of so many… working tirelessly behind the scenes, to ensure that Salvador was maintained while the details of his treatment were being ironed out. Salvador gained weight … came out of his shell a little and was very quickly loved and adopted by all the members of our household.

Finally the news that we had all been anxiously awaiting …someone had said YES! We were extatic … the McComb Foundation from Perth, Western Australia … and burns specialist and surgeon Fiona Wood, had agreed and confirmed that they would undertake the complete care and recovery process for Salvador… what an awesome blessing that was … after all this time of on again, off again … empty promises and well meaning peoples advise … we had found the way !! Philippine Airlines were generous enough to provide us with two, return business class tickets for Salvador and his chaperon to travel to Australia and back …it was finally going to happen …

One of our next hurdles to overcome was the need for Salvadors accommodation and carers … the McComb Foundation took care of all his medical costs and requirements … even providing assistance with the initial accommodation of both Badong and carers …, however we needed to have carrers there 24 hours a day, 7 days a week that would be completely dedicated to Salvadors needs. And they would need accommodation and transportation etc … for a period of 5 months.

Thanks to a generous army of carers and generous sponsors, Salvador received just that … loving caring people volunteered their time and love … leaving their home state to travel to Perth just to look after Salvador … awesome hey? None of them had met him before, yet all were willing to make this sacrifice. Funds were raised to provide for the accommodation, food and other related costs … this was truly a mammoth undertaking … and God provided every step of the way.

All in all, this is a story of VICTORY … of Gods awesome love and compassion … of the fact that we all have the power to make a difference … the task was huge … and certainly more than any one person or group could achieve single handed …but as everyone contributed what they could … however big or small … this miracle was completed … confirming our belief that no matter who you are, or where you come from, you can touch a life and make a difference.

Salvador is back home here at the Rescue House with us … he continues on with his regular exercise schedule … and will be required to wear his pressure suit for at least another year. We have raised some support for his education … and he commences back at school in June. He has visited his home town … and started the journey of reconciliation with his family members and sees a bright future ahead for himself … we are blessed to have Salvador as a member of our team …