Help fund Mial’s heart surgery

Hi. My daughter, Mial - Alessa Micael Esperanza - needs to have open heart surgery by next year at the latest. She has a ventricular septal defect (VSD), a small hole in heart that was first diagnosed when she was a baby. It wasn't a problem then, and the outlook was good. Other than a slight swooshing sound along with her heartbeat, she was a big, healthy baby with no trouble eating or breathing. We had regular checkups until she was five - it was 2020 and the pandemic hit.

When things started opening up again in 2022 and the COVID vaccination for kids from five to eleven was released, we decided to go to Mial's doctor last March to check if she could be cleared for the vaccine with her heart condition. Mial went through a 2D echo test and the results showed the VSD still there, but with a new problem: along with the hole, her heart had developed an aortic insufficiency (AI). The tiny hole had caused a disruption in the flow of blood and her aortic valve stopped functioning adequately. Mial would need surgery - the earlier, the better.

It was difficult news to take in, and all the more shocking because of how Mial is - a seemingly tireless ball of energy and light. It was harder for me to accept than it was for her. I cried myself to sleep each night when the gravity of the situation sank in. On the other hand, when Mial learned about the operation the first time, her primary concern (which is still her primary concern until now) was, "Mom, what if I wake up in the middle of the surgery?" She hasn't protested at all, though I would completely understand if she did. She even wants to make art to sell to help raise money - it's on her to-do list. My kid is a brave and wonderful kid, and I'm crying yet again as I type this.

Mial started taking maintenance medications and our family started planning. I wanted to target next year, but after researching the prices and meager possibilities for financial assistance (PhilHealth generally doesn't cover operations involving AI), it looked like it would have to wait. Realistically, I told myself, maybe 2024 or 2025 would do.

Then we had a follow-up 2D echo just a few weeks ago, on September 12. Only around six months after the first echo, and there were changes. The hole had grown slightly, but doc's main concern was instead the increase in size of Mial's heart. This significant increase after just a few months also showed a decrease in heart function. Doc's voice was kind but her tone was urgent. "Next year na at most, mommy."

The clock is ticking now and Mial's taking in more meds. Along with the furosemide (for fluid build-up) and captopril (for blood pressure) she was already having, Mial is also now taking in a third medicine, digoxin (for blood circulation). She's seven years old. And she's supposed to have open heart surgery after she turns eight in February.

And so here I am, asking for help in whatever amount you can spare. Our target date for the surgery is during the June break, so our schooling won't be affected and there will be enough time for her to recover throughout July before school starts again. We've chosen the Philippine Heart Center in Quezon City. In December of this year once Christmas break starts, we're traveling there to get Mial checked up as an outpatient to know exactly which procedure they recommend and how to go about things.

Hopefully, as her doctor has advised, open heart surgery for VSD patch closure will solve the problem. For the hospital's lowest treatment package (Ward Plan C), this is going to be an estimated Php 491,382. If they deem that valve repair or replacement is needed instead, their lowest treatment package is Php 547,442. If we manage to qualify for financial aid from the hospital, hopefully we can get around Php 200,000 knocked off the price. But all this is still exclusive of other fees. I'm a single mother with a full-time day job and law school at night. My parents are both church workers. Raising enough for Mial's surgery by June is honestly not going to be possible with what we have, and so we're seeking your help. Any amount at all will go a long way.

I am so, so very grateful for all of you, for your donations and gifts and words and thoughts and prayers. I love Mial, Mi Alessa, with all my being and I would do anything for her. I just want her to live a healthy life without having to worry about her health and whether she's going to wake up in the middle of a surgery. I want her to get to run around and play with her friends without feeling any pain in her chest or shortness of breath. I just want her to be well.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. I love you. Hugs, always.