03/06/2026
Happy World Clubfoot Day! ๐๐๐
๐ฅ๐๐ป๐ป๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฒ: ๐๐บ๐บ๐ฎ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐นโ๐ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ๐ป๐ฒ๐ ๐ณ๐ฟ๐ผ๐บ ๐จ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ผ๐ฝ๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ด๐ต ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐น๐๐ฏ๐ณ๐ผ๐ผ๐ ๐๐น๐ถ๐ป๐ถ๐ฐ
In Quirino Hill, Baguio City, houses seem to climb endlessly toward the sky.
From afar, it looks like a mountain shaped not only by earth and stone, but by lives stacked one above another, roofs rising like steps, pathways winding upward, and stories layered across the hillside. It is a place where every day is a climb, where reaching home often means going uphill, where movement itself becomes part of living.
For a child growing up here, the simple act of walking, running, or climbing is not just ordinary. It is essential.
Inside one of those homes lives seven-year-old Emmanuel Doga, a boy whose laughter now echoes through the narrow paths of that place. He runs, he plays, he jumps for joy. He moves freely, as if the mountain itself were his playground.
But for his mother, Esther Doga, this everyday scene is nothing short of extraordinary. Because there was a time when even the thought of Emmanuel taking a single step felt uncertain.
โWhen I gave birth to him, I felt shocked and at the same time worried,โ Esther recalled. โI immediately thought, what will happen to him when he grows up if he cannot walk properly?โ
Emmanuel was born with clubfoot, a condition where both of his feet are twisted inward and downward. For many parents, the diagnosis brings fear, especially when it comes at a moment that is supposed to be filled only with joy.
For Esther, those first days were filled with questions that had no immediate answers. Would her son be able to walk? Would he ever run? Would he be able to climb the very place they call home?
Answers came soon after. An orthopedic resident doctor approached her after being referred and carefully explained Emmanuelโs condition. More importantly, he introduced her to the hospitalโs clubfoot therapy program.
โI asked if there was a way to fix his foot,โ Esther shared. โThat was when I was introduced to the program.โ
That moment became the beginning of a journey that would test her strength, but also reshape her understanding of hope. At just two weeks old, Emmanuel began treatment.
The Clubfoot Clinic of BGHMC, in partnership with the Philippine NGO Council on Population, Health and Welfare, Inc. (PNGOC) in partnership with MiracleFeet, carries the powerful global vision, โRun Free.โ It is a promise that children born with clubfoot can grow up without limitations, able to walk, run, and live fully. But reaching that promise requires patience.
Emmanuel was then enrolled in the program that included series of casting, phases of bracing, and a tenotomy. A tenotomy is a minor surgical procedure where the Achilles tendon is gently released to allow the foot to move into its proper position. All these play a crucial role in correcting the condition and enabling normal movement. For Esther, the process demanded everything.
โAt first it was very challenging,โ she said. Esther further shares that it was habagat and typhoon season that time, and it was difficult for them to go to the hospital every week for his casting or the โcementingโ of the feet to gently stretch and reshape the deformity.
Yet week after week, she carried her child through every rain and storm, believing that each visit brought them closer to a future where Emmanuel could stand on his own. A small sacrifice, she said, for a future worth fighting for.
As the years passed, another challenge came. The pandemic disrupted daily life and made hospital visits more difficult. Movement was restricted, fear was present, and uncertainty once again became part of their journey.
Still, they continued. Because when a mother holds on to hope, even the hardest paths become possible.
โThe most challenging part for me was the whole process,โ Esther shared. โFrom casting to tenotomy, and especially the bracing.โ At night, when Emmanuel moved and the brace would hit her, the pain was real, but it was not what hurt the most. It was the constant ache of seeing her child go through something so difficult at such a young age. And yet, in every sleepless night, she chose to endure, holding on to hope that one day, all these moments would lead to healing, to strength, and to the day her son could finally run free.
Progress came little by little. After the tenotomy, the changes became clearer. Then came a moment that every parent waits for.
At one year old, Emmanuel began to take his first steps. Even while wearing braces, he tried to move forward, using a walker, pushing himself beyond limitations that once seemed impossible. Those first steps were more than movement. They were a declaration. A quiet beginning of what it truly means to run free.
Almost seven years later, that promise became reality. In 2024, Emmanuel became the first graduate of the Clubfoot Therapy Program of BGHMC. For Esther, it was a moment filled with emotion.
โI was happy,โ she said. โAfter all the challenges and sacrifices, I can now see my son doing what normal kids can do.โ
Today, Emmanuelโs life is no longer defined by his condition.
โNapakalaking pagbabago,โ Esther shared. โIf there is no Clubfoot Clinic at BGHMC and no treatment like this, maybe he would not be able to walk properly. Maybe he would just stay at home and not be able to play with other children.โ
Instead, he runs through the narrow paths of Quirino Hill. He climbs the same slopes that once felt like an impossible future. And perhaps one day, he will stand at the top of that hill, looking out over the city, not as a child who struggled to walk, but as one who overcame every step that tried to hold him back. Because for Emmanuel, the mountain is no longer something to fear. It is something to conquer.
Esther carries deep gratitude for the people who walked this journey with them.
โI am very thankful. No words can say how much I appreciate all the doctors and nurses of BGHMC from day one up to the last session of my son,โ she said.
Their care did more than treat a condition. It restored possibilities. It gave a child the chance to move freely, to grow confidently, and to live fully.
Now, as Emmanuel prepares to enter Grade 3, he carries with him not just the ability to walk and run, but a story that speaks of resilience and hope.
There is a photo of him standing beside Superman, a symbol of strength, courage, and the power to rise above. But the truth is, Emmanuel does not need to fly to be extraordinary. Because in his own way, he has already done something heroic. He learned to stand when it was uncertain. He learned to walk when it was difficult. He learned to run when it once seemed impossible. And now, he runs freely, not because he was born without challenges, but because he faced them and overcame them.
To other parents who may be walking the same path, Esther offers a message filled with understanding and encouragement.
โHuwag kayong matakot na i-undergo ang baby ninyo sa treatment,โ she said. โKonting sakripisyo at tiyaga lang. Para ito sa kinabukasan ng mga anak natin.โ
Do not be afraid. The journey may be hard, but it leads somewhere beautiful. In one sentence, she describes her experience as a mother.
โSatisfied and happy. We made it up to the end.โ
And in that ending is a new beginning. A beginning where a child once carried by hope now runs on his own strength. A beginning where every step echoes a story of courage. A beginning where a boy from Quirino Hill can climb higher, run farther, and live freely. A beginning where the promise is fulfilled.
That every child deserves the chance to run free.
