This is Florante Bayle.58 years old. My uncle, cousin of mom’s. He has a rare skin disease called Neurofibromatosis , but despite of his appearance he has many goals in life. He is kind and very helpful. And when it comes to news and current affairs he is always updated. He’s like a walking radio.
Fury, as we call him, was raised with despise from his own father. He was my grandmother’s adopted son since he was unwanted in their home. He stays with my grandmother until his father died. Though he wasn’t born with the disease, he grown with it. He was 13 years old when rashes occurred in his skin. And ofcourse because he live in the society where they blame nature for everything they said he was cursed. Not believing my grandmother, his aunt, brought him to Manila to be cured but at that time, 1960’s cure for his disease was not yet invented. They did try everything from herbals to medicals. From medical doctors to faith healers and witch doctors. Nothing happened. He has no choice but to grow with the “skin”. This doesn’t stop him from reaching some goals in his life, like being everybody’s bestfriend. He is the friendliest guy in our neighborhood. Children, look at him like Santa Claus during Christmas cause whenever he has money or chocolates (given by his sister in Germany), he shares them without hesitation. He helps out in the family by being a male nanny to his nephews and nieces and now even to their children! Not only in the family that he shares that role has he also taken care some of the children here in our place. And he is a great story teller, he tells stories of folklore and such when I was just a kid.
“He’s a beast! He must be burnt to death!” said his father. He chases him with 2x2 thick stick and throw rocks at him whenever he sees him. Poor Fury doesn’t even curse or hated his father by doing that to him. He says, “I am blessed with family whom loved me so dearly, not having a father at my side doesn’t bother me at all!”
We all love him here, he will always be beautiful even not by appearance but by his works, he is Beauty. I will not argue with the comments he receives everyday by those who doesn’t know him personally, because, mostly of those who judge him are those who have flaws even not in appearance but as a person. I am a witness of this person’s good deeds. And nothing in this world can ever pay whatever he did for us, for our community, for those he touched their lives.

These are my two angels. My daughter Beans and my niece Boo. They are always TOGETHER, they do things together, and even eats together.

when Beans was born my niece declared a new bestfriend.

This was taken during our travel to Cebu. And again my two angels are having fun together.

A warm sunday for the best friends and they chose to play in our backyard together.

What a friendship they have! Now you can see them smiling at me... together.