The first sight of Mary Joy tugged at the First Gentleman’s heartstrings. He carried her in his arms and asked her how she was and why she was in his office. Mary Joy’s spirit of optimism shone through as she talked about her life with the candor of a child, but there was one thing that marred her bouncy cheerfulness. She told the First Gentleman she wanted artificial limbs because she was growing heavier and she didn’t want her family to have difficulties carrying her where she needed to go.

“Yung ibang magulang, tinatago ang mga anak na may kapansanan. Ikaw pinag-aral nila at tinuring na normal. Kaya tutulungan ko kayo,” Mr. Arroyo assured her.

As fate would have it, Mary Joy would do so much more and live without limits, with the help of the First Gentleman. When she was 9 years old, Marijoy’s mother Merceditas decided to approach the First Gentleman for help.

“When she was in Grade 3, we read in the papers that many received assistance from the First Gentleman. My husband and I rode on our bike and lined up. I was carrying Mary Joy, too. By 9 am, the line was already very long but we stayed because we wanted to surprise her for her birthday which was coming up. We were lucky the First Gentleman met us,” the couple said.

The First Gentleman Foundation Inc., (FGFI) acted swiftly. Prosthetics were designed for the young girl. Prosthetics were custom-made for Marijoy at least once a year, or even twice, depending on how fast she grows or puts on weight. She still needs to lean on someone when walking, but she says the weight is no longer as heavy as when she had absolutely no limbs.

But the First Gentleman went beyond just giving her prosthetics. He became Marijoy’s friend.

“Isang umaga, mga alas sais yun, nag surprise visit siya sa amin. May 12 yun, Friday, malapit na ang birthday ni Mary Joy. Nakipagkuwentuhan lang siya ng mga halos isang oras,” the couple said. “Another time, he treated Marijoy and friends to Jollibee.”

The loving attention from the First Gentleman has done wonders for Mary Joy, who as a teenager now, has become aware of the headlines and the harshness of the media towards Mr. Arroyo. She has gained a friend and this has turned her even more into a confident and cheerful person — and loyal, too.

“Lagi ko siyang pinagtatanggol sa school. Hindi totoo yung mga sinasabi nila tungkol sa kanya,” Mary Joy says.

In May 23, 1994, Merceditas and Wilfredo Guevarra’s joyful anticipation for a baby girl was dashed in an instant into bittersweet despair when the doctor reluctantly told them the news from the delivery room: their new baby was missing an arm and both legs. Nothing prepared them for the doctor’s softly spoken words, more so for the first sight of their newborn.

“We didn’t have any idea, even after three ultrasounds. They said the placenta was in front that’s why we could not see,” says Mercedita.

But the couple decided to consider the baby a blessing to their family and made a choice to rejoice because she was alive and healthy. Mercedita and Wilfredo decided to raise Mary Joy Victoria just like their other three children.

“We wanted her to live as normal a life as she could,” her father said.

Just like the other children in the house, Mary Joy was required to do household chores like wash the dishes. It didn’t matter whether the dishes “multiplied” in the process, the spunky girl said with a rueful smile. “Inuutos utusan din namin yan,” says Wilfredo.

The strategy paid off. Mary Joy exhibited the optimism and outgoing cheerfulness of someone who is used to the love and support of people around her. She liked to sing, so she joined — and won — competitions in school. She bested every kindergarten child in public daycare centers in Metro Manila when she joined a singing contest at six years old.

Music shows who she really is, she said, and it is when she is singing that her heart and soul soar to places where she didn’t need arms and legs. But she loved dancing too; it didn’t matter that she would topple over. She is closest to her sibling Jay-are, who carried her to school everyday. As with every teenager nowadays, she has an open crush on the Jonas brothers. She dreams of becoming a nurse someday and seeing her family live comfortably.

Asked whether she sometimes feels depressed because of her infirmities, Mary Joy said: “No, I don’t get depressed. I am lucky because I still have one hand. I can do the things other people can do.”

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