This is a story of a boy in Laguna which will probably remain untold had the Goducate team not visited him at his home. One would have thought that Ian Mendoza is 12 years old simply because of his child-like appearance. But he is actually 18 years old. Ian suffers from meningioma – a non-aggressive cancer of the central nervous system. A slow-growing brain tumor – probably the size of a tennis ball – has inhibited the production of growth hormones, which invariably stunted his development as a child. Ian lost his sight in both eyes when he was 15 years old, when the optic nerves in his eyes were compressed as a result of the tumor. According to his mother, doctors had ruled out removing the tumor surgically as it is a highly risky procedure.

Ian playing his recorder

In spite of his condition, Ian was anything but downcast or defeated. He struck us as someone who has great contentment, and one simply refuses to give up. He wants to develop his talents in music and fulfill his dream of playing the flute in the orchestra. Two of Ian’s younger brothers – Matthew and Emmanuel are now playing for the orchestra formed by Goducate’s Learning Centre in Laguna to train musically talented young people to play at special events. Such events can potentially become a source of income for the musicians as fees can be raised from their performances. As for now, Ian plays a recorder to hone his skills and he looks forward to the day when he can play a flute, given through a kind donation.