I was 12 and she was 10 then.

No, this is not a love story but this post is definitely full of love for a dear friend who I have never seen for almost 18 years.  A classmate from high school posted a note about her and was delighted to read about it only to find out an unexpected  news.

Well, let me introduce her first.  She is Dra. Sarah Moral.  Actually, it was only my sister Connie, her classmate in high school for 4 years, who informed me that she did become a doctor which is not a surprise to me.  She is a smart little girl who loves to collects medals in our school, Niño Jesus House of Studies (NJHS).

Back in high school, I was sort of his kuya.  Our school is not really big so students can really make friends from other grade levels.  I can’t remember how many times I was assigned as their class "big brother for a day” every time their adviser was on leave.  She made my task easier because she is a natural leader who would take over the group initiating educational games and activities rather than spending time in one corner of the blackboard and making a list of who were noisy and standing.

She was also a co-member in our dear Cultural Club in NJHS.  It is in that group that I discovered and developed talents I never knew I had. One proud moment was when beat the colossal Rizal High School (RHS), that time was the biggest high school in the world as per the Guiness Book of Records, in the Sabayang Pagbigkas category, a city-wide competition that RHS ruled for years.

I also had the privilege of being an officer of the Student Council of our school where Sarah was also elected.  Meetings were fun, makulit but productive.  After I left NJHS in 1993, I never heard of her until I was introduced to Ramen for Sarah.    

Ramen for Sarah was created out of our compelling desire to bring together all of Dra. Sarah Moral's family, friends, acquaintances and colleagues to rally behind her and support her in her fight against cancer.*

The word "ramen" originated from the Chinese (Mandarin) word "la miàn" meaning "pulled noodles." Noodles, according to Chinese belief, symbolize longevity and are often served during Chinese New Year and birthdays. It's is widely believed that eating noodles signify long life to the person consuming them.

Sarah is in need of our prayers and financial support. We will be organizing a series of fundraisers in the coming weeks and months to raise the money needed to subsidize her hospital care and treatment. For those who wish to contribute financially, you may make a deposit to any BDO branch:

Account No:1420055044 (BDO Rockwell Ortigas)
Account Name: Philip Lance A. Liu OR Miranila E. Hernandez (for check donations, please address to either person)

Please send an email to ramenforsarah@hotmail.com once you've made the deposit so we can acknowledge its receipt. Any amount is very much appreciated!

Thank you for who ever will be touched of this post and would support her.  Let's continue to pray for Sarah's full recovery. She has saved lives for years.  Now it's time that we help her save hers.

*Dra. Sarah Moral was diagnosed last June 28, 2011 with Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (ALL).