Angela’s Carotid Body Tumor Surgery Fund

Update as of November 30;

We would like to sincerely thank everyone who have given out of what they have even during a pandemic. Thank you so much for all your financial help and fervent prayers for my sister, Gel. May God bless you beyond measure. We are extending the fund campaign to cover the loan of 300k which we incurred for her to completely settle the remaining bill and to get out of the hospital. She will also need to go through Occupational Therapy to be able to speak and swallow well. We do not know yet how long this will take. There will also be follow-up consults and tests to monitor her recovery and condition. Again, thank you very much. God bless and stay safe.

My sister Gel wrote this:

This past 2 weeks has been the darkest time of my life. Despite months of praying, mindsetting and getting ready, pain and uncertainty got a hold of me. On Nov 16, I went through 6 hours of embolization, which hurts like no other pain i've felt before. 24 hours later, I went through a 13 hour surgery to remove all the tumor. They cut my carotid artery and replaced it with a graft they took from my left thigh. I woke up on Nov 18, intubated in the ICU. I was awake staring at a clock in the ICU unable to move, unable to breathe on my own, unable to speak. Then the doctors told me, my tumor reached until my voice box and that the hypoglossal nerve cannot be saved and that I may never speak again. And that we will know for sure tomorrow, after another procedure prior to extubation. My heart shattered. So for the next 24 hours counting the seconds to my extubation schedule, pain was very real.

I was alone throughout all this. No one to explain things to me. No one to hold my hand and say it's going to be okay.

I kept repeating these words in my head desperate to take the reigns of the many voices in my head. Through the pain and the feeling of hopelessness I said: "Your grace is sufficient for me, Your power will be made perfect in my weakness. I surrender." I repeated this for 24 hrs. I thought i was going insane. But I believed without a doubt that God was with me. And I dare to believe that my God is bigger than all of this. I believe that my life will be a beacon of God's miracle.

On Novermber 19, 3PM, they checked my voice box and I was extubated. My vascular cardiologist came up to me and pointed to the ceiling smiling. That night, my surgeons came to visit me. Dr. Rico asked, can you try speaking?

And I said: God's not done with me yet.

He smiled and said, "I didn't expect you to speak but, if you did, I expected a voice that sounds distorted. But your voice is normal." He smiled and left.

I can speak! Only by the grace of God.

A lot of people rallied for me in prayer and in raising funds to cover for my 1.1M peso hospital bill and got me out of the hospital - friends, family, my church, friends of friends and even people I may not know personally. Thank you all so very much.

I still need to go through so much recovering. Nerve pains are not pleasant. The fact that I cannot eat right is also very frustrating for me, especially its the best time to eat and celebrate. I cannot sing...which breaks my heart more than anything.

But I believe in the God of the impossible. I believe everything will be restored and I believe God's not done with me yet.

To God be all the glory.

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Hello everyone. Please help my sister, Angela Rica Samala Manansala. She’s a solo mom of 3 adorable kids. She doesn’t have any health insurance.

In January, my sister had her 1st surgery on her right neck, it was a carotid body tumor. It's rare, or so the doctors say. It was removed. We had a lot of people who generously help us out in January to cover the cost which was around 420,000 pesos.

But now, her tumor has recurred. In less than a year, she needs to have a 2nd surgery. Same diagnosis. After 2nd and 3rd opinions and extensive testing and scans at the Philippine Heart Center, the doctors found that this time, the tumor is fast growing, and it grows inwards and upwards; and the mass which encases the right carotid artery is now centimeters away from her brain. So, she will need another surgery as soon as possible. Total estimated cost is 500-600K pesos. Also to reserve an operating room in the Philippine Heart Center, we need a 200K down payment to be able to schedule the surgery. The longer we wait, the bigger her tumor gets, the harder it is to resect without nerve and facial deficits, and higher risks of stroke.

Quite honestly, all this is overwhelming for us and we need help. Once again, we humbly appeal to your kind hearts for help. Any help is much appreciated. Thank you very much. God bless you and your families.