It's been a week since I last blogged an update regarding my niece, AJ.
Currently, she is still in the hospital and is supposed to finish taking antibiotics on Wednesday, April 1, however just two days ago she started experiencing pains on her lower abdomen that no amount of cold/hot compress can relieve. The doctors did a urinalysis to rule out the possibility of a urinary tract infection since she just had her menstrual period. I do not know what happened to the urinalysis, but today, at 11AM, she was wheeled in to the lab for an ultrasound. As of this writing, we are still waiting for the result of the test and praying that it isn't something bad.
I will not deny the fact that we need financial assistance. As of yesterday, our hospital bill already mounted up to PhP200,646.00/US$4,270.00, we are now under what they call "Rx Watch" meaning we now have to buy medications outside the hospital because we were not able to give them the required PhP60,000 deposit two nights ago (we have already used up our previous deposits). Being under Rx Watch has its advantages, actually, because the medicines are a lot cheaper outside, however, it is also stressful because these medicines are not that easy to find and with this new set up, we should make sure we always have some cash ready for purchasing, and sadly that is not always the case. The other night, we needed PhP16,000.00 to buy meds that AJ needed by 3am that same night and we did not have cash on hand, so you can just probably imagine how stressful that night was. This morning, we needed to get PhP5,000.00 to my brother before 11am because AJ's antibiotics needed replenishing, we were informed at 10:15am -- 45 minutes! It sent everyone on a frenzy!
We are still in the process of being inteviewed by local social workers and some charities like PCSO, PagCor and the Cancer Warrior's Foundation and hopefully, AJ gets approved for support. Until then, we just have to try our best to raise funds to cover the expenses.
We also are requesting for blood donations (which incidentally makes up 35% of the bill), please just proceed to Fe del Mundo Children's Medical Center along Banawe Ave., Quezon City and tell them you are donating blood for AJ, the leukemia patient at room Waling Waling. And while you are already there, why don't you do drop by her room to cheer her up as well? Please feel free to email me at hazelrchua@gmail.com or call 0908-685-4240 if you would like to extend assistance in any way so I can make arrangements for you ahead of time. Thank you.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Friday, March 27, 2009
Scam
How could anyone still have the guts to scam people who are already in the middle of a crisis, I wonder.
You all know that my family's going through a tough time right now because I wrote about it on all of my blogs with the hopes of getting information/leads to organizations/foundations that could help us avail treatments for my niece who is afflicted with leukemia.
Two days ago, I received a comment from an update post on After His Own Heart, Warren woke me up excitedly to let me know that someone from China offered to help, it all sounded so appealing because the claim was that 9 of their patients since December are now completely, 100%, cancer-free and have returned to their normal lives (school/work/family).
I contacted this person, let her know that we cannot afford anymore expensive treatments especially such as the one they are offering but asked anyway how we can avail of the medicines, what company manufactured it and I asked for references that I can use to check the validity on the internet. She replied and this is what she had to say: (I am assuming it's a "she")
And lastly, not someone who would just brush this email off and throw it on the recycle bin for the www to gobble up in oblivion forever, I responded and this is what I have got to say:
You all know that my family's going through a tough time right now because I wrote about it on all of my blogs with the hopes of getting information/leads to organizations/foundations that could help us avail treatments for my niece who is afflicted with leukemia.
Two days ago, I received a comment from an update post on After His Own Heart, Warren woke me up excitedly to let me know that someone from China offered to help, it all sounded so appealing because the claim was that 9 of their patients since December are now completely, 100%, cancer-free and have returned to their normal lives (school/work/family).
I contacted this person, let her know that we cannot afford anymore expensive treatments especially such as the one they are offering but asked anyway how we can avail of the medicines, what company manufactured it and I asked for references that I can use to check the validity on the internet. She replied and this is what she had to say: (I am assuming it's a "she")
Dear Mrs. Hazel ChuaWell, that was all it took for me to realize that it was all a scam. This person, whoever it is, takes advantage of people like us and that is just so, so sad. I wasn't supposed to write about it anymore thinking that people like this Ming person are not worth investing time and energy on but I realized that I am not the only blogger who has a cancer-stricken family member who blogs about it, so yeah, this is more for the benefit of those who are going through dark periods like us and may have or could received/receive an email/comment on their blog from a scammer like Ming, please beware.
Thanks for you reply.
It is very sad to know that you are short in budget. But we cannot provide your niece with free treatment. We spent 14 years on developing medicine and still have a loan of 1 million US dollars behind us. We charged $40,000 for each patient in China with the promise of completely cure (live as normal people, no chemotherapy, marriage and have children). Without any profit, the cost is still around $20,000. I know this must sound cruel for you and your family, but in order to pay back the loan we cannot compromise any more. Hope you can understand our difficulty.
You cannot find the medicine in market. It is a secret prescription and only made by us. (emphasis added)
On the other hand, I will still help you to spread the news of your niece. I sincerely hope you can raise enough money as quickly as possible for your niece. Hope you will still turn to us at that time. But I will always respect your choice.
May our faith save your niece.
Best regards,
Ming
And lastly, not someone who would just brush this email off and throw it on the recycle bin for the www to gobble up in oblivion forever, I responded and this is what I have got to say:
I just thought I should have the last word. :)
Hi Ming,
Why would you keep it a secret if it is as effective as you say it is? Would you not make more money if you advertise it and put it out on the market? There are millions of people affected by cancer all over the world and you could certainly make so much more, pay back your loan and get rich by getting this medicine on every pharmaceutical company worldwide.
Why do I suddenly feel that your email and your drug claim is just a scam? I am not bitter that I cannot afford your medicine, but I am not stupid not to smell the stench that you lace your correspondence with. I hope that what me and my family and my niece are going through right now won't happen to you or your family or someone you love. Taking advantage of people who are already in crisis is not humane, so I wonder, from what zoo do you belong?
Hazel
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Help for AJ
This is an attempt to disseminate information to get more people to pray for my niece who has cancer/leukemia.
Alleah Janine Reambillo, we call her AJ, was diagnosed with Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia in 2001, she was nine years old at that time, a smart little girl who loves to draw and color and a consistent honor student in our local grade school. She went on remission with the help of oral medications (Glivec by Novartis) and in October of last year, her doctors gave her the permission to fly to Singapore for a final round of tests before they can give her a complete clearance.
She was supposed to fly with her dad this summer after she graduates from high school on April 3, she is also supposed to receive awards for being a student journalist and for being the school's Ms. Alma Mater. Unfortunately, three weeks ago, my niece had high fever and my mom saw some bruises on her legs and arms again. She was rushed to the hospital and after a round of tests, it was discovered that something triggered the cancer to recur and it has mutated, it has become non-responsive to Glivec and from CML, it looks like it has now turned into Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML). She is still confined at the Fe del Mundo Children's Medical Center Foundation in Banawe St., Quezon City as of this writing.
AML is relatively curable, according to some research I did a few days ago, but it requires chemotherapy, transfusions and a host of other procedures. We do need financial assistance to get through this, her parents are ordinary call center agents and she has siblings who also need care and support, my other brother and sister are also pulling their resources to help out, but it isn't enough. Conservatively, we need PhP150,000.00/ US$3,200.00 every month for the next six months at least. She needs 6 chemotherapy sessions, one of which was already done two weeks ago and several blood transfusions. She was also prescribed several antibiotics to ward off possible infections. Until she finishes with her 6th chemo, we won't know for sure if the bad cell was arrested or not. If it was, then we're probably good to go, if not, then we will probably be needing more chemo therapies. These are just intelligent guesses, of course we still need the doctors prognosis which we will have only when she finishes her 6th session.
In behalf of my family, I would like to ask for your help. We need leads for foundations or organizations that help support children afflicted with leukemia/cancer in the Philippines, and yes, financial assistance at this time is also badly needed. *But most of all*, we need prayers from everyone, please help us pray for my niece, please help us beg the Lord for His mercy on AJ. If you are a blogger and are reading this, please help spread the word so that we can get more people to pray for her.
I have blogged about her on After His Own Heart, there are also pictures of her in the hospital if you'd like to see, you can just click over.
Thank you so much.
In Christ,
Hazel Chua
Philippines
Note: You can forward you financial assistance via www.paypal.com to hazelrchua@gmail.com. Please don't forget to include a note that the funds you are sending are for AJ. We will update this as soon as we are able to set up a separate paypal account for her. Thank you.
Alleah Janine Reambillo, we call her AJ, was diagnosed with Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia in 2001, she was nine years old at that time, a smart little girl who loves to draw and color and a consistent honor student in our local grade school. She went on remission with the help of oral medications (Glivec by Novartis) and in October of last year, her doctors gave her the permission to fly to Singapore for a final round of tests before they can give her a complete clearance.
She was supposed to fly with her dad this summer after she graduates from high school on April 3, she is also supposed to receive awards for being a student journalist and for being the school's Ms. Alma Mater. Unfortunately, three weeks ago, my niece had high fever and my mom saw some bruises on her legs and arms again. She was rushed to the hospital and after a round of tests, it was discovered that something triggered the cancer to recur and it has mutated, it has become non-responsive to Glivec and from CML, it looks like it has now turned into Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML). She is still confined at the Fe del Mundo Children's Medical Center Foundation in Banawe St., Quezon City as of this writing.
AML is relatively curable, according to some research I did a few days ago, but it requires chemotherapy, transfusions and a host of other procedures. We do need financial assistance to get through this, her parents are ordinary call center agents and she has siblings who also need care and support, my other brother and sister are also pulling their resources to help out, but it isn't enough. Conservatively, we need PhP150,000.00/ US$3,200.00 every month for the next six months at least. She needs 6 chemotherapy sessions, one of which was already done two weeks ago and several blood transfusions. She was also prescribed several antibiotics to ward off possible infections. Until she finishes with her 6th chemo, we won't know for sure if the bad cell was arrested or not. If it was, then we're probably good to go, if not, then we will probably be needing more chemo therapies. These are just intelligent guesses, of course we still need the doctors prognosis which we will have only when she finishes her 6th session.
In behalf of my family, I would like to ask for your help. We need leads for foundations or organizations that help support children afflicted with leukemia/cancer in the Philippines, and yes, financial assistance at this time is also badly needed. *But most of all*, we need prayers from everyone, please help us pray for my niece, please help us beg the Lord for His mercy on AJ. If you are a blogger and are reading this, please help spread the word so that we can get more people to pray for her.
I have blogged about her on After His Own Heart, there are also pictures of her in the hospital if you'd like to see, you can just click over.
Thank you so much.
In Christ,
Hazel Chua
Philippines
Note: You can forward you financial assistance via www.paypal.com to hazelrchua@gmail.com. Please don't forget to include a note that the funds you are sending are for AJ. We will update this as soon as we are able to set up a separate paypal account for her. Thank you.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Our Visit with Aejae
We got to the children's hospital along Banawe Street in Quezon City on Saturday afternoon. I opened the door and my niece's aunt from her mother's side of the family was lying on the bench asleep. I woke her up and asked for a face mask. I had to firmly set my feet where I stood because I wanted so badly to run to my niece and just give her a tight hug and hundreds of kisses. She was on the hospital bed wrapped in blue blanket and she looked up to me and greeted me with a weak smile and an equally weak, "Tita...". I wanted to burst into tears. 
Wearing a face mask, I approached her and gave her a kiss, talked to her, asked her how she is doing and tried my 'bestest' to be brave. She told me her bones ached because her bone marrow had to be removed the day before and she just finished her 6th bag of blood transfusion. She showed me where her IV had been before doctors had to transfer it to her right hand, she showed me the needle marks and her bruises, she was also complaining of pains and dizziness. I checked her feet and they were almost ice-cold so I tucked them in. That was the most difficult one hour of my life, I tried to breathe normally but was really having a hard time because the tears were on the verge of seeping out of my ducts and I had to concentrate on not making them fall. I joked lightly from time to time, telling her to get some strength and we would paint the town red. She would smile half-smiles and the knife cutting through my heart would twist painfully each time.
Warren then sat beside her and with a very unusual pitch, started evangelizing. I can feel how heavy hearted he was, and judging from the tone of his voice, he too was about to cry. He struggled to finish preaching the gospel, I watched him take in gulps of air so he could at least breathe comfortably, his feet were drumming the floor and his arms were flailing wildly infront of him. When he was about to finish, I tapped him on the shoulder and told him I will continue. He moved to the other chair and I sat down, held my niece and summarized everything that Warren told her - sin, cross, Christ, faith, repentance, salvation, eternal life. Tears fell from my eyes and my niece started
crying too.
We left the hospital and as soon as we were inside the car, I just exploded. I cried my eyes out and I begged the Lord to save her soul.
On Sunday, we returned and she was in better shape than yesterday. Her fever's down and there are no more aches. She was smiling a full happy smile when she greeted me. They were feeding her apples for breakfast and she was just about to finish her 4th bag of blood transfusion when we got there. No more blanket, she was her usual happy self. She even treated me and Warren to funny stories about their recently held Junior-Senior Prom. She was giggly and just laughing out loud and my heart danced a happy dance, of course. After awhile, she asked to be brought to the loo and after that she sat up on the bed to watch tv.
We left the hospital with memories of her laughing and up on the bed watching Gossip Girl (I could not protest!). I know that she is not stable and we won't know for sure if she's on her way to recovery or not until after her sixth chemotherapy session but we remain hopeful. Six sessions of chemotherapy, that's about six more months of time... Maybe we can buy more. Who knows.
Wearing a face mask, I approached her and gave her a kiss, talked to her, asked her how she is doing and tried my 'bestest' to be brave. She told me her bones ached because her bone marrow had to be removed the day before and she just finished her 6th bag of blood transfusion. She showed me where her IV had been before doctors had to transfer it to her right hand, she showed me the needle marks and her bruises, she was also complaining of pains and dizziness. I checked her feet and they were almost ice-cold so I tucked them in. That was the most difficult one hour of my life, I tried to breathe normally but was really having a hard time because the tears were on the verge of seeping out of my ducts and I had to concentrate on not making them fall. I joked lightly from time to time, telling her to get some strength and we would paint the town red. She would smile half-smiles and the knife cutting through my heart would twist painfully each time.
Warren then sat beside her and with a very unusual pitch, started evangelizing. I can feel how heavy hearted he was, and judging from the tone of his voice, he too was about to cry. He struggled to finish preaching the gospel, I watched him take in gulps of air so he could at least breathe comfortably, his feet were drumming the floor and his arms were flailing wildly infront of him. When he was about to finish, I tapped him on the shoulder and told him I will continue. He moved to the other chair and I sat down, held my niece and summarized everything that Warren told her - sin, cross, Christ, faith, repentance, salvation, eternal life. Tears fell from my eyes and my niece started
crying too.We left the hospital and as soon as we were inside the car, I just exploded. I cried my eyes out and I begged the Lord to save her soul.
On Sunday, we returned and she was in better shape than yesterday. Her fever's down and there are no more aches. She was smiling a full happy smile when she greeted me. They were feeding her apples for breakfast and she was just about to finish her 4th bag of blood transfusion when we got there. No more blanket, she was her usual happy self. She even treated me and Warren to funny stories about their recently held Junior-Senior Prom. She was giggly and just laughing out loud and my heart danced a happy dance, of course. After awhile, she asked to be brought to the loo and after that she sat up on the bed to watch tv.
We left the hospital with memories of her laughing and up on the bed watching Gossip Girl (I could not protest!). I know that she is not stable and we won't know for sure if she's on her way to recovery or not until after her sixth chemotherapy session but we remain hopeful. Six sessions of chemotherapy, that's about six more months of time... Maybe we can buy more. Who knows.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Prayers for AJ
Some of you may have read that story I posted last October regarding my niece's remission from Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia, a type of leukemia where there is a "clonal bone marrow stem cell disorder".
About two weeks ago, she had to be rushed back to the hospital because of fever and reappearing of what looked like bruises (hematoma) and after a series of tests, her doctors found out that a cell mutated and became non-responsive to medications of Glivec (by Novartis), the cell that has mutated apparently is more aggressive and since Glivec is no longer effective in arresting said bad cell, my niece had to undergo chemotheraphy. She was released from the hospital last week but yesterday, my brother had to rush her back again because she had elevated temp (fever), was having difficulty breathing and again, there were bruises on her arms and legs. I just got off the phone with my brother a few minutes ago, six bags of platelet was transfused immediately last night and there's 2 more bags today. So far, she's stable and it looks like the IV is helping her breathe more comfortably now. Another chemo session is scheduled sometime next month.
Friends, this is not an easy time for me and for my family. I find myself on crying episodes every hour or two since yesterday and sleep did not come easy last night. Only God knows what's next for my niece and for those that loves her so much so I pray, and may I ask you to join me, for hearts that would embrace without question the will of God, whatever it will be. I also pray for my dad's health because he is not taking this family ordeal very well.
I may or may not be posting as regularly in this blog for the next few days, depending on how things go, but I will keep blogging on Food Couch and Warren might be blogging for me on After His Own Heart.
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