#HelpCecilleFightMG: Our sister Cecille Marie Gicum-Arangcon was recently diagnosed with Myasthenia Gravis (MG), a chronic autoimmune neuromuscular disease.
From the outside, you could only notice her drooping eyelids, but our sister’s struggle is internal—she experiences intermittent generalized muscle weakness and pain around the extremities, double vision, occasional slurred speech, and worse, difficulty breathing.
As a mother of three, these symptoms significantly affect her ability to carry out even the simplest of everyday tasks. Continued shortness of breath, caused by weakness of the respiratory muscles, could also be fatal if not treated.
Currently, Cecille’s symptoms are managed by daily intake of anticholinesterase medication (Mestinon) and immunosuppressive drugs (Prednisone), both of which causes side effects, the main one being a lowered immune system and thus more susceptible to infections.
This month, Cecille will undergo thymectomy, a semi-open heart surgery to remove her thymus. While there are no established treatments that could completely cure MG, thymectomy has been studied to improve muscle weakness and reduce the lifelong need for immunosuppressive drugs. We are hoping that Cecille will go into permanent remission after her surgery, though the chances are only 50-50.
The surgery alone, however, costs between 500k to 600k PHP—a considerably huge amount that excludes other hospital bills and outpatient expenses. Currently, Cecille and her husband are heading to the Philippine General Hospital, hoping to avail of their free thymectomy procedure. However, they will also be hurdling costs for their month-long stay in Manila, as well as preparing for other costs after the surgery should Cecille not respond well.
Cecille and her family have been struggling financially prior to her MG diagnosis. They are doing what they can to get affordable treatment through government assistance, but the government could only do as much.
We are knocking on your kind hearts to help raise funds for our sister’s treatment. Any amount is greatly appreciated, and your donation will be forever cherished. If you wish to help, kindly click on the DONATE NOW link below.
You can also donate through the following bank details:
▪️BPI: 8689148701 (Ryan Arangcon) and 2229-0478-52 (Eden Marie Gicum)
▪️BDO: 00438-026-7612 (Eden Marie Gicum - Montilla Blvd Butuan branch)
▪️East West Banking Corporation (EWBC): 20000-264-7237 (Eden Marie Gicum)
To learn more about Myasthenia Gravis, visit here: https://bit.ly/2nZqkhM
To read Cecille’s MG story, visit here: https://mgstorymom3.blogspot.com/2019/07/fighting-myasthenia-gravis-mg.html
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Butuan, ph