Most of you probably haven’t heard of MICHELLE CALANOG PRINCIPE`, but she works in the comics industry abroad and is quite involved in many of the comics being published. She manages Glass House Graphics Asia and Studio Sakka, a creative agency and manga studio, respectively, coaching and guiding dozens of artists and colorists across the Philippines, Japan, Hong Kong, and even India. What’s more, she oversees bunches of free seminars each year, bringing in experienced talent to teach hopeful young artsts about the comics biz.
Among her talent roster: Bong (Star Wars) Dazo; Carlo (Hulk) Pagulayan; Stephen (Wolverine: Manifest Destiny) Segovia; Lui (New Terminator) Antonio; Noah (Red Sonja) Salonga; Patrick (Avengers/Invaders) Berkenkotter; Harvey (Avengers: The Initiative) Tolibao; Jonathan (Battlestar Galactica) Lau; Anthony (Bratz) Tan; Wilson (Wolverine Manga) Tortosa, Tina (Space Ace) Francisco, and plenty of colorists for Marvel, Dark Horse, Dynamite, Dabel Bros., and so on.
She’s also been a comic book character. Michelle is the sister of Jinky Coronado (artist of TokyoPop’s Avalon High series and writer/artist of her own series Banzai Girls). Michelle has been a character in every issue of Jinky’s comic book. And the two of them even appeared together in FHM Philippines. So Michelle’s overall ties to the comics industry go pretty deep.
Married at the beginning of the year to her college sweetheart Rhene Principe`, Michelle had a baby exactly one month ago. That should be cause for celebration, and it was. But within 12 hours of taking home newborn Reinee, Michelle found him not feeding and unresponsive. Back at the hospital, doctors discovered what they thought were blood clots in his brain. A catscan and surgery further revealed them to be inoperable deposits of calcification in his brain. Soon they also learned the baby had multiple hernias — intestines pushing through muscle walls — and areas of bowel that were not processing food. Young Reinee went through four weeks of painful surgeries, spending nearly every day in ICU.
Born September 26, 2008, Reinee Jaden Principe` died today, October 26, 2008. But every mother’s worst nightmare HASN’T ENDED.
Although Michelle and her husband emptied their savings account on hospital expenses, and Glass House’s head honcho David Campiti and Jinky Coronado (they are married) have each donated thousands of dollars toward Reinee’s medical expenses, the hospital wlll not release Reinee’s body to Michelle for burial until she pays the remaining $9,000.00+ in medical costs.
What’s more, they now have funeral expenses to worry about.
Jinky is trying to help her sister to raise the remaining money. Help from anyone — a dime, a dollar, $10, whatever — is greatly needed in a hurry, and appreciated. Michelle and Rhene need to bring some closure to their heartbreaking situation and, literally, put him to rest.
She has set up a PayPal donation Email specifically for this — banzaigirlmc@gmail.com
For any generous individuals donating $1,000.00 or more, Jinky will illustrate and personalize a custom cover-quality illustration of whatever characters they want.
Your help for Michelle and her family is appreciated.
Update from PAD: The infant’s body has since been released by the hospital in exchange for several post-dated checks. So contributions will still be welcome and are needed.
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Not right now – later in the week, after kate gets paid – and not much, i’m afraid, but we’ll do what we can.
I’ll donate what I can, but god dámņ stories like that make me really hate hospitals.
How dreadful. Stories like this show me again how grateful we here in Britain can be about the National Health Service. Especially when children are involved, the US health system is nothing else but cruel.
Our daughter was born with a hip defect. She is fine now but if we would live in the USA instead of here, she wouldn`t be. There is no way we would have been able to pay for her treatments and operations!
How sad. My heart oges out to the family as they face the tough road ahead.
Ditto what Baerbel said (insert Australian Medicare here for British NHS).
PAD, what hospital was this? They deserve some bad publicity.
Horrific situation, and one I just literally can’t wrap my mind around. Inconceivable to me that the hospital administrators would do this. (And that word does mean what I think it means.)
But I can’t help wondering just what did the hospital plan to do with the child if the bill wasn’t paid? Just have it stored forever?
Seems like a situation just rife for bad PR for the hospital and one any one who spends half a second thinking thru would avoid. “Our policy is not to release patient files or other items until bill is paid in full.” “The ‘item’ is a child.” “What?!! Well why didn’t anybody say so?”
Holding up the funeral rite like that is obscene on principle.
Unfortunately money is the bottom line with most doctors/admins in the health care field. I personally have been to at least 10 doctors who did not give a crap about my health; they just wanted to make sure they padded my bill/insurance company’s bill as much as possible.
It’s really quite disgusting that it stopped being about helping/caring about people. Or was it never about that? Really a despicable institution, whichever hospital it is.
DO you know if there is a SANDS (Sudden and Neonatal Death) or “SIDS and KIDS” organization their city/state? These are support groups for bereaved parents.
I am so angry after reading this. I will donate what I can but that hospital really does deserve to get a boat load of crap dumped on it.
As to “what hospital – where?” – i’m inferring from the article that this was in the Philippines.
It’s in Manilla. And apparently this practice isn’t all that uncommon.
PAD
Words cannot express my feelings over this matter.
I’m donating immediately-not much, but I must do something.
PAD, would there be any issues with me posting this on my site as well? I’d like to get this out there as much as possible, and we have a decent readership on our end.
Despicable. Absolutely despicable. The hospital deserves all the bad publicity it can get.
A friend had a family member who was in ICU for 6 months before passing. The bill was more than $800,000. Insurance capped out long before that. No one held the body hostage. Nearly all of the bill was forgiven, because there was no way to pay it.
Where was the hospital social worker and the finance department through this poor baby’s nightmare? Shame, shame on the hospital.
PAD, would there be any issues with me posting this on my site as well? I’d like to get this out there as much as possible, and we have a decent readership on our end.
No issues at all. Feel free. Everyone should feel free to do so.
PAD
Good post. I am a CPA and financial planner that helps families needing to save money on funeral costs. You can find some good, objective information about funeral and cremation planning, funeral costs, and ways to reduce funeral costs here: http://www.funeral-tips.com
I too will do what I can come payday, but in the meantime Peter can you get this link to them, http://www.realitycharity.com/ it is a place where people in need can post there story and other can donate to them. They might be able to get help through it.
More than one person has lamented that they can’t give much. But think about this: if 1,000 people donated $10, that would add up to $10,000.
My thought? If you are willing and able to give, do so and then pass this along to as many people as you feel comfortable. If you have a blog or a Web site, post it there, too. In the age of electronic communications it shouldn’t take long to find at least 1,000 willing donors.
Donation made. What a horrific situation…
Awful thing to have happen. My son is nine months old and i couldn’t bear to think of something like that happening to my family. With that in mind i stuck my hand in my paypal pocket and gave…
Donation made.
Would that I could donate, best I can do is thoughts and prayers for th parents. Sure doesn’t feel like enough.
How cruel of the hospital to do that to Michele and her family for its bad enough that they had to say goodbye to Rene after a short time but to then be told they won’t get his body till they pay . talk about salt in the wound the hospital should be ashamed and the workers who said that to Renee need a new line of work. my sympathy to Renee and her family.