11/11/2025
𝗔 𝗥𝗮𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗛𝗼𝗽𝗲, 𝗣𝗔𝘀𝗟𝗶𝗧 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲: 𝗔 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝗟𝗶𝗳𝗲
When the Department of Health (DOH), Philippine Children’s Medical Center (PCMC), and The Medical City (TMC) came together in a landmark consortium, they shared a singular vision: to give Filipino children with liver disease the gift of life. Out of that vision was born the Pediatric Access to Liver Transplant (PAsLiT) Program—a collaboration that turned what once felt impossible into a living, breathing reality.
Today, that vision shines through in the stories of two children whose lives were forever changed. Both are thriving testaments to what compassion, collaboration, and clinical excellence can achieve.
The program’s first transplant recipient, Sophie Aguilo, was just two years old when she underwent her life-saving liver transplant on November 11, 2020. This year, as she celebrates her fifth year post-transplant, she continues to grow under the care of the PCMC Gastroenterology Outpatient Clinic. From fragile hospital days to the laughter-filled playgrounds of childhood, Sophie’s journey is a powerful story of courage, hope, and healing.
The second child, Gianna Visto, received her transplant at age two in February 2024. Now four years old, she is a picture of vitality—an energetic, playful girl who will soon begin preschool. Guided closely by the multidisciplinary PAsLiT team, Gianna’s transformation from a critically ill toddler to a thriving child speaks to the life-changing impact of early access and comprehensive post-transplant care.
Behind these success stories stands the PAsLiT team—a coalition of transplant surgeons, pediatric gastroenterologists, intensivists, nutritionists, coordinators, psychosocial specialists, and other subspecialists from both PCMC and TMC. Together, they form a circle of care that accompanies each family through every stage of the transplant journey—from diagnosis and preparation to recovery and lifelong wellness.
Beyond individual success, the PAsLiT Program has bridged critical gaps in the nation’s pediatric liver care. By strengthening diagnosis and identification of children in need of this life-saving procedure, optimizing pre- and post-transplant continuity, and ensuring equitable access to treatment, the program transforms despair into hope and uncertainty into a future filled with possibility.
Each clinic visit, each follow-up, and each smile shared between families and their healthcare teams mark another quiet triumph—proof that coordinated, compassionate healthcare can change the trajectory of a child’s life.
As PCMC celebrates these milestones, it reaffirms its commitment to expanding access to pediatric liver transplantation in the Philippines—one child, one transplant, one renewed life at a time.
Moving forward, PAsLiT stands as a beacon of what is possible when access meets expertise and when institutions unite behind a shared purpose.
For every child who receives a second chance at life, the ripple extends far beyond the operating room—touching families, communities, and the very heart of what healthcare is meant to be: a vessel of hope, a promise fulfilled, and a miracle realized.
