Helping Hand For A Strong Woman: My Mother

My Mother Needs Help

A strong woman needs a hand, she is my mother. Last October 17, 2016, Elizabeth Lemana Cacho, aged 54, was rushed to the Medical City Hospital in Iloilo. Her systolic blood pressure reached 300 mmHg and lead to a brain aneurysm. The added pressure of the bleeding caused a stroke. Her breathing was nearly non-existent, it was a miracle (we are thankful), and she survived. To further complicate matters, she has asthma, and made the initial prognosis grim.

She was connected to a respirator. Her blood pressure fluctuated wildly from normal to a high of 170/100. My mother underwent a brain shunt operation to drain the excess cerebrospinal fluids and blood trapped in her head, and it alleviated the pressure. A few days after this operation, her left lung also collapsed due to a blockage. The lack of air on the left lung deflated it, and made it difficult to wean her from the respirator.

A normal human being could have let go, but not my mother. All of us in the family do not want to fail her by not properly tending to her needs after she lived through such pain and trials. The Glasgow Coma Scale for her is at 6. She is still in a deep coma. She does respond to pain and touch, but she remains unconscious. Her previous response most likely reflex.

For the time being, she is in the Acute Stroke Unit of The Medical City Iloilo. Her condition is still critical as of this writing. She needs further care so that she recovers.

Financial Need

Our family, relatives, and friends were able to cope with the initial funding needs for the hospital, admission, medicines, operations and laboratories. However, we are hitting a pay wall and if we could not get over this, a life could be lost. We decided to transfer my mother to another hospital to lower the cost, but the doctor’s fees are stopping us from transferring. We are trying to negotiate to have their consent to settle outside of the hospital. With that still pending, we need to raise at least 600,000 pesos to move. None of us have additional funds to settle that amount in short notice. Our savings were previously drained by the oil price crisis in the Middle East. The company my dad worked in downsized their manpower and he was affected. He was jobless for several months prior this event and it took time before the company gave his severance pay.

Aside from the 600k pesos we need to transfer, we need additional money to pay the new hospital and my mother’s future hospitalization. The funding goal is set at 2 Million pesos so that she can be properly cared for and steer her out of danger. Once she wakes up again, the remaining fund will be allotted for her rehabilitation, and giving her a chance to get back to normal.

Why We Call Her A Strong Woman

She is both the mother and father of the family. At least in proximity, since my father is an Overseas Filipino Worker currently in Qatar. For more than 27 years, she nurtured my brother and I to maturity. I admire her ability to make quick decisions when needed and her long term view of raising a family. My mother’s decisiveness shielded us from failing into poverty.

One such decision was when Typhoon Frank hit our Hometown of Iloilo. The family business (a pharmacy) was drowned by the muddy floodwaters. Instead of giving up, she rallied everyone, cleaned the shop, and reopened in just three days. The store was so clean that the surrounding tenants commented that the flood missed us. The real reason was my mother. The pharmacy then operated as a field clinic and ensured that whoever braved the flood waters would not succumb to sickness. This pharmacy operated since I was in High School. That’s about 15 years ago. Countless people might have been healed by proper medical treatment.

My mother also helped kept the finances stable during the recent financial crisis in the Middle East. The manpower downsizing of the Qatari Company my dad worked in added stress to my mother, but our family made it through.

She helped our family and people around her. Now, it is her turn to be helped.

Gratitude

Right now, any amount helps. I can only give my gratitude in return as of the moment. Once we overcome this, you will be forever in our hearts. If you are comfortable with leaving your name or a contact number, please do so. I will create a thank you post for your kindness and in the future, help you back in return.

Contact Information:

If you are not comfortable or unable to pay online, please contact the following people below. Bank details are available if you wish to send through that way:

Main Contact: Nhel Kevin Cacho (Elizabeth Cacho’s Son)

Email: [email protected]

Bank Account: 1349083929 (BPI)

Cellphone number: 09981257594

Other Contacts:

John Cacho ([email protected])

Nicolasita Casaquite ([email protected])