“Salamat po, Mr. Arroyo, gaganda na po ako,” said Allison, beaming with delight, as she hugged the First Gentleman during her visit recently.

Allison Jenn Lozanta will finally get a new chance to live a normal life as she flies to United States today to undergo a free reconstructive surgery – five years after a fire badly burned her face and most of her body. Allison, now five years old, will leave for Hilton Head Island, South Carolina with her mother Mary Jean.

“We can never thank First Gentleman Mike Arroyo enough for all the help he has given us. We will never forget the kindness he has shown us,” Mrs. Lozanta said when they visited the First Gentleman the other day.

Allison was only two months old when a fire razed their house in Barangay Puting Lupa in Calamba, Laguna. Doctors said it was a miracle that she survived, having suffered third and fourth degree burns all over her body and lost all of five fingers of her left hand . The burns also disfigured her face, and part of her scalp. Mrs. Lozanta said her daughter has undergone 15 operations so far.

The First Gentleman Foundation, Inc. quickly responded to Lozanta’s appeal for assistance, paying for the girl’s hospitalization and medical expenses at the Philippine General Hospital (PGH). The foundation also procured for Allison custom-made elastic pressure garments for Allison’s use after her series of operations. Allison’s wounds are now completely healed but the scars and deformities on her face remain visible.

In cooperation with the Rotary District 7770, Inc., the Rotary Clubs of Hilton Head Island and Bluffon in South Carolina, chose Allison to be a recipient of Gift of Life program. Rotary District 7770, Inc. Chairman Bruce Pitkin in a letter last February 2 confirmed that they will shoulder the reconstructive surgery of Allison and other medical expenses at the Hilton Head Regional Medical Center . Her surgery, therapy and recovery time is expected to last up to five months.

The First Gentleman, on the other hand, gave pocket money to Mrs. Lozanta while the Philippine Airlines (PAL) provided roundtrip tickets to both.

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