Man with a degenerative muscular disease graduates Cum Laude from UPLB

Despite suffering from a degenerative muscular disease, Carl Adrian P. Castueras graduated cum laude with a BS Computer Science degree from the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) on Saturday, July 4.

At the age of eight, Carl was diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD), a genetic disorder that causes muscle weakness and progressive difficulty walking. Since then, Carl had to move around in a wheelchair to cope with everyday life.

Pushing Her Son to Success

At that time, his mother Marietta Castueras decided to give up her job as a marketing executive in order to focus on her son. For years, Marietta would push Carl’s wheelchair every single day just to bring him to his classroom.

“He cannot propel the wheelchair on his own. It was very hard but it’s a family decision to help him,” Marietta told ABS-CBN News.

PHOTO CREDIT: ABS-CBN News

Even during his graduation day, Marietta was seen pushing her son’s wheelchair.

Determined to Reach the Top

When Carl studied at UPLB, Marietta had to accompany him to his classes. But it was a struggle for both since some of Carl’s classes were located at the upper floors of university buildings which don’t have elevators.

Marietta even had to hire a helper who will carry Carl to his classrooms.

According to Carl, several people from the University also helped him  “reach the top.”

“A big thank you as well to all the ‘kuyas’ who helped me reach my classrooms on the second and third floors. Without you, I would not have made it this far,” he wrote on his Facebook post.

Check out Carl’s full Facebook post below.