Hi again everyone. I spent today transferring the donation to my cousin's bank account. None of the money remains with me. Everything goes to this operation of hers and I do not plan to habitually raise funds. Just this one time because it's a life or death situation if the mass is not taken out of her uterus.

My cousin Joan is the one currently working on my mother's PGH hospitalization. I will be getting scans of receipts and her medical reports from her so that I can post it in this page. I have never done a fund raising effort before. But I believe in accountability and I want everyone to know where the money went. I don't want to just get the money and then leave this page hanging without some update of what happened to my mom.

I will keep updating this page so that you know. My husband and I are amazed at the speed of response to our cry for help. When I made this page, I was just trying my luck. I was just hoping I can add a few hundreds or get some amount to buy her medication. But people came through. It's a humbling experience.

So, PGH it is. It's a paid ward but there is still a long queue of people there. We are still hoping that we can get an insider to expedite things and put her on the operating room as soon as possible. The money I raised was half what Kidney Institute asked last week, but it's enough to have her operation in PGH because they charge half of the amount. I am hoping that after that single operation for which I organize this fund campaign, the PCSO and PAGCOR financial assistance programs will come in and help out for the remaining procedures.

I talked to my Mom this morning. I have not been speaking with her on the phone last week because I feared that I will break down in tears while talking to her. But time is really short right now and I cannot hug her physically given our bedridden states. If you are reading this and your mother is still alive, find time and give her a call or hug her in person. These moments are so precious and life is so short. =(

Being 3 hours apart, I had to be content in hearing her voice even just for 5 minutes per day. She sounds so weak and like she is in so much pain. I just want to hug her but it's not possible. It's so hard. I am literally relying on relatives who volunteer to watch over her and accompany her as she goes through this cancer battle.

Right now, my mother is going to be admitted overnight at the Kidney Institute again for the CT scan. Supposedly, this is an outpatient procedure where she will only have to line up in a corridor. Given the circumstances, she is so sick that she cannot walk anymore and even these basic procedures or lab work require that she be admitted in the hospital overnight and be whisked off in a wheelchair. They needed to put a suppository tablet on her anus and given her extreme pain, this is proving to be a huge challenge that will need an overnight preparation.

Her formal biopsy results will be this Friday and that's going to be a pivotal moment for the family because we have to make a decision about the flow of her treatment after her mass debulking operation in PGH. You guys helped me make that money materialize so that she can still possibly extend her life.

Last week before I opened this fund raising campaign, I already spent the last of our savings. My husband and I turned from sad to worried to downright desperate. As our bank accounts dwindled, we were so scared with the number of medical emergencies that my mother started to have more frequently.

This week, I am making an inventory of stuff that I am going to sell so that I can add to the fund for my mom's hospitalization and somehow recover a fraction of my baby's childbirth money for January. I am only keeping the car because we need it in case there is no ambulance and she has an emergency (this happened already last July), the laptop because I use it to write articles, and the phone because I use it to coordinate with my cousin Joan, sister Harvey, and stepfather.

Since I broadcasted this fund campaign at When in Manila, I gave my cellphone number and I found new friends who text and encourage me to stay strong in the midst of this crisis. I am so thankful for all your messages of encouragement.

We are literally being saved by the mercy and kindness of strangers and friends with this campaign. I will never forget this, no matter what the outcome.

I got a lot of medical opinions and the prognosis is a little worrisome. They are asking me to hope for the best and prepare for the worst.

I cannot really return all this money you donated when I am fit for fulltime work next year, but I hope that you will have blessings by the thousandfold for this help you have extended. I am immensely astounded with the number of people who helped me out in this painful and difficult time.

I will keep updating you guys. I cannot in good conscience leave this page hanging and not tell you how things are.