Angels are living quietly among us

By: PHIL STRICKLAND - For the Californian | Friday, November 23, 2007 9:22 PM PST ∞

You may have read a few weeks ago of the young Filipina who was brought to this country for a series of major operations to her skull and face to repair a serious birth defect.

There's a bit of good news to report.

Twelve-year-old Merylou Barriga has survived the first, and perhaps the worst, of the surgeries.

Surgeons, under the direction of Dr. Mark Urata at Children's Hospital in Los Angeles, have removed portions of the front of her skull allowing them to bring together the left and right sides of her face, thus creating an area where they have begun construction of a nose and normal mouth.

Temecula physician Anita Jackson, Merylou's primary doctor here, reports Merylou is in good spirits and anticipating the next in the series of surgeries that will occupy her for much of the next year.

After the article appeared, calls and e-mails were received at The Californian with offers of encouragement, Christmas gifts and donations.

Fortunately, Merylou is in good hands. Others are not so lucky. You don't need to look very far, especially during this season, for a good deed to do. There'll be bell-ringers and guys in uniforms surrounded by SpongeBob Squarepants dolls or something, just to name a couple of the opportunities that will present themselves.

Among the people who contacted the newspaper about Merylou was Murrieta resident Sandy Peckinpah, herself the mother of a child born with a severe cleft lip. She wanted to give Merylou a book, "Rosey the Imperfect Angel."

Eighteen years ago, Sandy was sitting in the audience of the Emmy Awards with her husband, David Peckinpah, whose television series "Beauty and the Beast" had received several nominations.

Ironically, it was only a few months later that their daughter, Julianne, was born with a facial deformity.

Turns out that Sandy, in addition to being a part of her late-husband's production team and an actress, also is an author. "Rosey," the story of an angel with a cleft lip, was her first book.

Written after Julianne's birth, it was published in 1993 with hope that it would provide encouragement and support for special-needs children and their loved ones.

It was received with much acclaim. Sandy and Julianne toured the country appearing on almost any talk or news show you can think of, being interviewed for newspapers and giving speeches.

And, it wasn't long before Rosey had a sibling, "Chester the Imperfect All Star," the story of a boy with one leg "very different" who wanted to be a baseball player.

Ever since their publication, her books have been staples at hospitals, clinics and special-needs charities.

Her most recent literary venture is "Fairy Tale Life Ö Interrupted," a familial autobiography relating their experiences as a family with a child born with a cleft lip.

Though as yet unpublished, it is available as an e-book on Sandy's Web site, clefthelp.com.

Fortunately for Julianne, her family could afford the numerous procedures that have resulted in a lovely 18-year-old college student, see her picture on the Web site, who is fully supportive of being a living testament to what can be as a part of her mother's mission to ease burdens and instill hope.

Fortunately for Merylou, there are people like Jackson and her friends at Danao Association USA who dedicate a part of their lives and some of their cash each year to taking medical care to the indigent in their homeland.

Fortunately for the rest of us, there are people like Sandy, Anita, Mark, Winifred, Chris and the others who called or e-mailed to offer what they could to help a girl they'll never know.

Merylou refers to the people making her dream come true as her "angels."

Who knew there are so many?

Phil Strickland is a resident of Temecula and a regular columnist for The Californian. E-mail: philipestrickland@yahoo.com.