A Scarlet-letter day in September

Every day has become a Scarlet-letter day for engaged couple Dr. Vicki Belo and Dr. Hayden Kho ever since their daughter Scarlet Snow was born to them two years ago.

Vicki has never kept it a secret that Scarlet is an IVF (in-vitro fertilization) baby and that she was carried by a surrogate mother.

Vicki told me about a month after Scarlet was born, during  a birthday dinner she hosted for me, that Hayden and her had undergone IVF  shortly before their big breakup. She loved Hayden, and she loved children. Her children Quark and Cristalle (now Mrs. Justin Pitt) had not given her grandchildren yet. 

Besides, she recalled, she really couldn’t afford to be a hands-on mother when she was in medical school because sometimes, patients would be vomiting on her white doctor’s coat. And then she was busy building her career, a promise to her late dad that she would make the Belo name famous.

But science and God’s grace made it possible for her to have her own child even after her childbearing years. But when she broke up with Hayden, she thought that longing to have a child would just remain that — a longing.

“Forgiveness ” brought the couple together again. Then one day, the clinic where the IVF was performed called to ask for their instructions on the fertilized ovum and fortunately, they were ready and raring to be parents this time.

Vicki, Cristalle and Scarlet are on the cover of the Mother’s Day issue of PeopleAsia magazine, shot at Las Casas de Acuzar in Bataan. According to the cover story penned by Jose Paolo dela Cruz, Vicki almost missed the chance to witness Scarlet’s arrival into the world. The Mexican-American surrogate was already scheduled to give birth, but Vicki had to delay her trip due to certain conditions back home. Hayden, on the other hand, already went ahead to wait for the delivery in the US. By some miracle, Scarlet tarried inside her surrogate mother’s womb.         

And on March 3, 2015, with Vicki present to witness the red-letter day, Scarlet made her debut into this world.

 “Hayden was saying that it was as if she waited for me to arrive. It was magical,” Vicki reminisced.

During Scarlet’s dedication in 2015 at the White Space in Makati City, this biblical saying from Isaiah 1:18 was posted like a beacon all over the place:  “Though your sins be red as scarlet, I shall make it white as snow.” It was the rationale behind Scarlet Snow’s name. She would be the daily reminder of God’s love for Vicki and Hayden, and their love for each other.

As for Vicki and Hayden, having little Scarlet turned their lives around. “I’ve become more submissive. I try to be the wife, the Christian wife who submits to her husband in most things. I do give my opinion, but in the end, I tell him that it’s his call,” Vicki, who admits that such submissive behavior used to feel uncharacteristic of her, confided to PeopleAsia.

During the PeopleAsia shoot, when being coaxed to do another layout, the adorable toddler told the team: “Scarlet finished!” But she agreed to sit still when her mother told her she could play with Peppa Pig, even offering her outstretched hand to Vicki and saying, “Deal.” I kid thee not.

With one million followers on Instagram, Scarlet Snow is a celebrity in her own right. Her antics are so endearing, her intelligence and maturity amazing. My personal favorites are when she stopped in her tracks while walking down a path, cupping an ear with one hand, exclaiming, “I hear the birds! They’re saying tweet tweet.” Such a precocious little one!

Another time was when her father asked her what a rabbit sounds like and she said, “What’s up Doc?”, wiggling her nose at the same time.

Aside from giving Vicki second chance to be a hands-on mom, Scarlet also rekindled in her a dream to have another Doctor Belo in the house. She told PeopleAsia, “Well, of course, I have this dream of having a Doctor Belo. I really wish Scarlet turns out to be a doctor. Di ba she said in one of our videos that she wants to be a ‘dermatologist?’ No coaching ‘yon ha!”

Whichever path Scarlet chooses, one thing is certain. It will lead to Paris this September, where she will walk down the aisle as a beautiful love story culminates before God.

It will be a Scarlet-letter day for Hayden, Vicki, and the little girl who has given them love as pure as snow.

(For inquiries about the PeopleAsia issue, call Bong at 892-1854.)

Triumph of the Spirit

The Alliance Française de Manille and Fundacion Sanso, in cooperation with the Embassy of France to the Philippines, present an exhibition of the works of the renowned visual artist Juvenal Sanso titled Triumph of the Spirit: a healing inspired by the coast of Brittany.

The exhibition was opened by Gilda Socorro Salita, director of Fundacion Sanso, in the presence of French Ambassador Thierry Mathou at the Alliance Française de Manille Total Gallery. This collaboration is a fitting tribute for this year’s commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the Philippines and France.

Triumph of the Spirit is a meditation on several texts chosen in relation to Sanso’s early works, the post-war trauma that is the springboard for his creative process, and the timelessness of the message of hope, particularly in this time where recent attacks to Sanso’s beloved Paris have been made. In essence, this exhibit, which celebrates the spirit of the artist, is construed as an act of solidarity to the people of France, and is a celebration of the strength of the human spirit against adversity. This exhibit also celebrates the healing Sanso experienced inspired by the coast of Brittany.

Another component of this exhibit is his transition from his black period to his Brittany Series, which is an admiration of the coast of Brittany.

(The Triumph of the Spirit: a healing inspired by the coast of Brittany  exhibit will run until May 26. For more information, visit www.juvenalsanso.com.)

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