Proud and happy to be Arhjessa…

By July 21, 2014Headlines, News

BAUTISTA–Her eyesight is gone but her future is looking good.

Twenty-three year old Arhjessa Espiritu’s optimism about the beauty of life never fades, even after she became visually-impaired when she reached 18.

“I want to be an inspiration. I want to make people see that life is beautiful despite the odds,” Espiritu, a 5′ 6″ beauty from Barangay Baluyot this town, said.

Her life story was recently featured in ABS-CBN’S popular “Maalaala Mo Kaya,” Asia’s longest running drama anthology.

“This is not just the story, but most importantly, the lesson you will learn from it,” Espiritu wrote in her Facebook account when she asked public support to watch it.

Indeed, more than the tears shed by televiewers were the golden wisdom gained from Espiritu’s determination to appreciate and enjoy what life would bring.

Her alma mater, the Virgen Milagrosa University Foundation in San Carlos City where she earned her degree in Bachelor of Elementary Education major in Special Education also rallied its students to watch Espiritu’s life story.

The MMK episode detailed Espiritu’s lows and highs in life. Her recent feats, after she became totally blind when she reached 18 due to glaucoma, just like what her visually-impaired mom suffered from, included winning the Miss Philippines on Visions 2013 and for being part of the Philippine Fashion Week 2014 for walking down the runway, with another visually-impaired lady.

Unlike traditional beauty pageants, Miss Philippines 2013 on Wheels, Signs and Visions is not only a contest to select the most attractive and talented individuals, but also those who can best inform the nation of the achievements and dreams of the thousands of people with disabilities across the nation.

2- ARHJESSA

In its website, the Philippine Fashion Week said EsAc published its corporate social responsibility initiative, for the very first time, by featuring two visually impaired ladies open its latest collection. Dressed in EsAc by Audie AE’s signature belted dresses, the two ladies – Arjhessa Espiritu and Czarinah Mercado – walked down the runway with the help of the iconic white cane.

This season, the company has decided to call attention to the status of the visually-impaired and collaborated with two organizations – the Philippine Blind Union (PBU) and the Nationwide Organization of Visually-Impaired Empowered Ladies (NOVEL).

The PBU works ‘towards the attainment of proper education, rehabilitation, employment, and general welfare of visually impaired persons and their integration into the mainstream of society.’

The NOVE is a unified team of women with varying degrees of visual impairment, which aims to unite everyone especially women with sight disability to be self-empowered, intellectually equipped and economically independent.

Espiritu happily shared that since her MMK episode, many would ask to have her picture taken with them.

“I want them to see the brighter side of life. I am basically a happy person. What was shown on TV was the other side of my life, full of drama, but in real life, I am always happy, smiling,” she said.

Espiritu considers herself still very lucky because she saw how beautiful this world is when she was still sighted.

Today, she busies herself teaching at the Area Vocational Rehabilitation Center of the Department of Social Welfare and Development in Dagupan City.–—Tita Roces

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