Village Connect
In many far-flung communities, where hospitals are hours away and healthcare remains out of reach, the SM Foundation’s mobile clinics are bringing hope closer to home. Through its long-running medical mission program, the foundation has served over 1.3 million patients in more than 1,700 missions nationwide, providing free medical services to those who need them most.
Equipped with six mobile clinics, the foundation travels across the country to offer free consultations, laboratory tests, and even minor surgeries. For families like Lenny Cabral-Anciado’s from Batangas, this mission became life-changing.
Lenny has raised her nephew, David, as her own child. “Kahit po siya ay pamangkin ko lamang, itinuring ko na po siyang tunay kong anak,” she shared. But when David developed a painful lump behind his ear at six years old, the family faced an uphill battle. With both Lenny and her husband losing their tourism-related jobs during the pandemic, affording medical care became impossible.
Desperate, they sought help from traditional healers, but the problem persisted. “Kung hindi po dahil sa medical mission, baka po hindi siya naoperahan o baka napakalaki ng ginastos ko,” Lenny said.
Living in a remote area where the nearest hospital was at least an hour away by tricycle or motorcycle, the family’s options seemed limited. But hope came from their own neighbors—SM Foundation volunteers who encouraged them to bring David’s case to the organization.
The mobile clinic arrived just in time, providing not only a free consultation but also the much-needed minor surgery to remove the lump. Lenny was overwhelmed with gratitude when she learned that the operation and follow-up care would all be free. “Umiyak po ako sa sobrang galak,” she recalled.
The foundation’s doctors ensured that David received the proper medicines and vitamins for recovery. Today, David is a healthy Grade 1 student, back to playing and running with friends—simple joys he once had to avoid because of his condition.
“Yung pera pong dapat ipang-oopera ko sa kanya, nagamit na po namin sa pang-araw-araw na pangangailangan at sa kanyang pag-aaral,” Lenny shared, her voice filled with relief.
Through SM Foundation’s mobile clinics, families like Lenny’s find not just treatment, but also a renewed sense of hope and a chance for children like David to fully enjoy life.
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