The surgery

But the volunteers’ perseverance eventually paid off, and the same day that Puod arrived, they all set off with Arvie and his mother.

It was a dark Thursday afternoon. But the rain didn’t stop them from making the three-hour journey to the PBM Hospital.

The next day, at about 11 a.m., Arvie entered the operating room.

Like most moms, Santilices’ reservations toward the surgery were driven by fear of what might happen to her child on the operating table.

But she considered what Oliveros and Gebilaguin had been telling her: the positive impact it could have on Arvie’s quality of life.

“I want him to undergo surgery so he won’t be bullied by other kids. I wouldn’t want that as a parent. Also, so he could go to school and study without being bullied,” she said.

Her worries didn’t last long. The operation lasted for less than 30 minutes.