A Single Penny for New Kidneys

Hi. My name is Henry from Calapan City, Oriental Mindoro, Philippines. For more than 10 years, I have been undergoing hemodialysis. Through the years, I had the chance to meet and get friends with other dialysis patients and learn about each of their life stories. A lot of us, if not most, are struggling to raise money just enough for the procedure.With failing and abnormally (for some) functioning kidneys, dialysis procedure is really a necessity. However, as the costs are high, not everyone needing it actually gets to avail of it.

I've thought of starting this fundraiser to seek help and probably make my dream a reality. I've always been dreaming to live a normal life and it could only happen if i get to undergo the costly kidney transplant.

The thing about having kidney problems in the Philippines is it's very costly to address. The cost of one dialysis session ranges from P3,500 - P4,500. While it is always easy to only have a session or two, the consequences of such decision can be very crucial to us patients. However, some of us have no other choice because they dont have the means to finance their treatments. For a person with kidney failure like me, dialysis treatment becomes my "new kidneys" - responsible for removing excess fluids and harmful toxins from the body that will otherwise be stuck in the system causing the patient to bloat and have a hard time breathing and worst - die.

Unfortunately, dialysis treatment is not fully subsidized here in the Philippines. There are government agencies like Philhealth and the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) who provides assistance and financial aid to patients but still falls short on dialysis patients’ financial needs. Most of my fellow patients go cut on their treatment frequency.

I hope that this message reaches your homes and you find in your hearts to share a single penny to save another life.

Thank you