Typhoon brings unexpected medical relief to Philippine town
A devastating typhoon that killed thousands of people in the Philippines has unexpectedly given young traffic accident victim Mario Renos hope that he could one day walk again.
Hit by a motorcycle while walking to school months before Super Typhoon Haiyan struck the central islands, the 13-year-old’s shrivelled legs are taking their first steps to recovery at a Red Cross tent hospital put up in Basey town.
“I want to go back to school,” said Renos, gritting his teeth as he held on to metal railings with both hands while trying to negotiate an improvised exercise stall made of lumber from typhoon-felled coconuts.
“There is no reason he can’t walk again,” said Norwegian nurse Janecke Dyvi as she coaxed the boy across.
Staffed by doctors and nurses from 10 European nations and offering its services for free, the $1.6 million (HK$12.4 million) hospital has uncovered a huge unmet need on Samar island, one of the country’s poorest regions.
