Help Alice Celebrate Christmas

Every year approximately 98,200 people in the Philippines develop cancer. Sixty percent (60%) or 59,000 of them will die, with most of them not even having access to doctors. Please help me save at least one life and show others there is hope. Please hear this daughter's plea. I refuse to have my mother be part of this statistic. Without treatment, she may not even last in time for Christmas.

Alice Medina, 65, was diagnosed with Stage III/IV-B Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma, a rather aggressive type of cancer, just last September, 2014. Alice underwent R-CHOP chemotherapy and 22 rounds of radiation. She was declared in remission on October 1, 2015.

However, just 4 weeks later, she noticed new lumps on her upper thigh. Just a month after being cleared, Alice's cancer was back, more virulent than ever. Her oncologist has recommended chemotherapy with autologous (stem cell) transplant as second-line/salvage therapy for her aggressive refractory lymphoma. This treatment alone costs PhP 1.5 million (US$ 34,000), not including chemotherapy and professional fees. Tests, medicine and professional fees are expected to be an additional PhP 250,000 - PhP 450,000 (US$ 6,000 - 10,000).

We are a middle class family with a small house in rural Philippines as our only tangible asset. Unfortunately, we have already exhausted avenues such as the state insurance Philhealth, the Department of Social Welfare and Development and the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes, as well as friends and family during her first round of therapy.

But let me tell you about Alice, also known as Sweetheart to one husband, Mama to five children and two (soon to be three) in-laws, Nana to one precocious grandson and another soon-to-be grandchild, Tita Alice to our friends, Alice to her brothers, sisters and friends, and "Lola" (grandmother), who always had a smile and/or cookies to the hungry kids who run up to her whenever they see her walking down the street.

She is a fighter.

She was raised by relatives after her father died when she was five. She supported herself in college as a working student. After a whirlwind courtship, she and my father married 39 years ago. She is an extraordinary housewife devoted to her family and community. She stayed at home taking care of our brood of five while organizing and raising funds for community outreach projects, infrastructure and events. When my father retired, she continued serving our hometown, becoming indispensable as she organized bingo nights, pageants, clean up drives, medical and relief missions and visits to sick neighbors. She embraced her mission to selflessly serve.

She is generous, compassionate and loving.

We are grateful for any help. If you wish to help offline, please send us a message and we can provide you with bank details. Please help Alice come back to her advocacy. Extra funds raised will be donated to the St. Joseph parish in Aguilar, Pangasinan, Philippines for relief funds for indigents affected by Typhoon Lando (international name: Koppu) and the ongoing El Nino. Track our journey and developments at my personal blog Manang Bidang.