Caring for loved ones with disabilities

After a series of eye surgeries in the US (18 surgeries from 1982 to 1989 due to glaucoma), Jaime Silva, more known to family and friends as Jimmy, and his wife Helen decided to change the focus of their lives.

- MONS ROMULO

Instead of traveling back and forth to the US for his eye treatments, they opted to stay at home in Manila to take care of their daughter Erica and build their family. Later on, they were blessed with a son, Sandro. In 1989, his eyesight continued to deteriorate, from low vision to total blindness.

While in Grade 7, he was diagnosed with congenital glaucoma, and had to wear corrective glasses. As a teenager, Jimmy enjoyed solving math problems, and did sketches and drawings. This encouraged him to take up architecture. "I never thought my glaucoma would be a hindrance to my profession. Though I had constant headaches, and my eyesight a concern, I persevered to finish the course. After passing the board exams, I worked for an architectural office for experience, and eventually started my own practice," shares Jimmy.

This December, Jimmy and Helen will celebrate their 45th wedding anniversary. Jimmy tells us "Between eye surgeries in the US, I studied orientation and mobility and later learned Braille. I had so much time that I found a new passion, listening to spoken books. At that time, it was more on four-track cassette tapes and flexible phonograph discs. That was when I started to read, and read, and read."

When we asked him what advice he could give to those with disabilities, he said, "I would advise that they first try to find out what they really want to do. This is where their passion will begin. Once they have decided on what to do, they should start learning everything about it, not only to be good at it, but to be better than the other person. Most important is that they should continue and not stop learning, but aim to be the best. As JFK would say, 'We do not do things because they are easy, but we do things because they are hard.'"