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by Dr. Emma Dira-Mendoza, mother of Special Olympics Philippines athlete Ritchie Mikhail
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The Mendozas with their son Miko, a Special Olympics Philippines athlete. [Photos courtesy the Mendoza family] |
"I am Dr. Emma Dira-Mendoza and our family lives in the Philippines. My third child and only son has Down syndrome. He was named Ritchie Mikhail Mendoza after his father and Mikhail Gorbachev, a former president of the Soviet Union, who at the time was considered to be a strong world leader. We nicknamed him Miko.
"When we were at the mall during my pregnancy with him, I can still remember my husband wanting to buy a toy car, with the hope it was a boy. I had to talk to him out of it; he agreed, grumbling. When Miko was finally born, it took me a long time to tell my husband that he could never be the boy he wanted. When I finally had the courage to tell him, he didn't say a word, but I could see that both of us were struggling with the hard truth.
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"Because of Special Olympics Philippines, I feel my son has every opportunity to improve as a person. I am sure this feeling is the same with other parents. Special Olympics has widened the horizon for Miko and has given me a broader outlook as a mother of a child with intellectual disabilities..." |
"Raising Miko was a journey which we as a family all enjoyed. His sisters are so proud of him and, as he grew, nobody dared say a bad thing about him because they were ready to fight 'tooth and nail' for his honor. Miko is now a teenager, and very much like any teenager who likes to watch MTV.
"As he was growing up, I wondered about his future. Because he had problems with academics, I searched for something he could excel at, something that could boost his self-confidence. I learned from one of Miko's teachers at school that he was so good at bowling he would compete with them. With this in mind, I tried to see if they would help him improve even more and, fortunately, they said that Special Olympics was coming to Cebu. They invited me and Miko to participate, and we did, gladly.
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Miko's sisters Ria and Abigail, proud of their role in helping to raise him and of his accomplishments through Special Olympics. |
Miko was selected as a member of the Cebu bowling team that competed at the 10th Special Olympics Philippines Games in Marikina, Manila. I remember as the time for Miko to compete neared, I found I couldn't sleep at all. My husband laughed at me, because he said I acted as if I was competing. My son may have been the youngest in the group of five bowlers representing Cebu, but he was as big as the others. Although I may have been tense during those four days in Marikina, I wouldn't exchange my experience for anything. I felt so lucky that my son was given the opportunity to be part of Special Olympics.
I feel the people involved are what you'd call 'the chosen few.' Because of Special Olympics Philippines, I feel my son has every opportunity to improve as a person. I am sure this feeling is the same with other parents. Special Olympics has widened the horizon for Miko and has given me a broader outlook as a mother of a child with intellectual disabilities. I can now proudly say to myself that I know where to help my son excel, so he can make himself proud and hold his head up high. |
