Supporting Marilyn’s Family

Marilyn has unfortunately passed away

Update Jan 26, 2023

Dear friends of Marilyn,

With great sadness & sorrow we regret to inform you that Marilyn passed away in her hospital in the Philippines on Saturday January 21st. She was undergoing a new round of chemotherapy when she passed. Fortunately she was able to spend the Christmas holidays with her mom & children.

May her soul rest in eternal peace.

We have kept the campaign open as we now focus on supporting her mom & 2 children (aged 14 & 10) with their living expenses and education fees for the children. Marilyn was the sole income earner for the family and any support will be very helpful and highly appreciated.

Updated Aug 10, 2022

Dear Friends,

We are friends of Marilyn, helping her and her family raise the funds needed to obtain a bone marrow transplant which is the next step in her treatment. Marilyn is 32 years old and a single mom of two children. Her daughter Akeesha Nathalie is 13 years old and her son Akiro Nash is 9.

Marilyn moved to Dubai in 2015 and has been working as a classroom helper since 2015. Her two children are being cared for by their grandmother Teodora, Marilyn's 65 year old mom, in the Philippines. Marilyn is a warm and loving mom and her love has been felt by all the children and their parents in the nursery she worked in. She is very well respected and loved among her family, friends and work colleagues.

Marilyn is a single child and her father passed away so Marilyn is the only breadwinner for the family and through her work in Dubai has been able to support them all including the education and living expenses of her children and her mother.

DIAGNOSIS & PROGNOSIS

In early May 2022, soon after a period of experiencing repeated bouts of unexplained exhaustion in April, Marilyn developed other unusual symptoms and after a routine blood test at the community clinic she was surprised that the doctor referred her to see a hematologist and advised her to have a further check up at the hospital. It was then that the doctor after looking at her blood results requested to take the bone marrow test on May 9th 2022. The test unfortunately confirmed that Marilyn had Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) which is a cancer of the bone marrow and the blood.

This came as a huge shock to Marilyn and all of her family and friends as she is an otherwise healthy young person. Marilyn was overtaken by fear and concern for her 2 children and her mom and is committed to doing her best to overcome this challenge. Statistics show that the 5 year survival rate for patients above the age of 20 with AML is 27% (source: https://www.cancer.net/cancer-types/leukemia-acute-myeloid-aml/statistics) however a bone marrow transplant significantly improves survival rates. One study showed a survival rate for AML patients who have completed a bone marrow transplant to be above 60% (https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/aml-bone-marrow-transplant#types-of-stem-cell-transplants).

UPDATE ON TREATMENT

Upon diagnosis Marilyn was admitted into the Dubai Hospital under the status ”life threatening condition” and started the chemotherapy treatment. Her condition needed immediate intervention and she was in no condition to travel back home. After one month of chemotherapy, Marilyn underwent a second Bone Marrow test which unfortunately showed that Marilyn’s body did not respond to the chemotherapy and the cancer was still present. The doctors then confirmed that Marilyn’s case is an aggressive type of cancer and she will need to undergo an Allogenic (from a donor) bone marrow transplant. In order to undergo a bone marrow transplant they need to get her cancer into remission so she was prescribed a second and third round of chemotherapy. Allogenic bone marrow transplants are not available in the UAE so Marilyn will have to travel to the Philippines to undergo the transplant. She is undergoing her 2nd cycle of chemotherapy and initial signs have been positive. The hope is that the cancer will continue to be controlled into remission and to raise enough funds for Marilyn to be able to undergo a bone marrow transplant.

COSTS & FUNDING REQUESTED

In order to pay for her treatment Marilyn has to cover the following costs:

TOTAL COSTS

• Dubai - Chemotherapy 2 rounds including hospital stay - USD 14,390 - this has already been paid for by her medical insurance provider in Dubai
• Additional hospital tests & fees after 2 rounds of chemo - USD 1,360 - this has already been paid for by an in-house hospital charity
• Dubai - Additional costs for doctors, medication & supplies - USD 1,335 - this has already been paid for by funds raised by the parents at her school
• Dubai - Salary during absence (May, Jun, Jul) - USD 2,200 - this has already been paid by her employer. Sep update: Marilyn’s employers have extended her salary payments by 5 months until Dec 2022
• Dubai to Philippines one way airfare - USD 500 - this will be covered by her employer
• Philippines - cost of Bone Marrow Transplant at St Luke's Hospital in Manila and 2 month hospital stay - USD 120,000
• Philippines - Salary to support her family during bone marrow transplant & recovery (Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec) - USD 2,900

Total - USD 142,685

Already paid for = 19,785

Balance Remaining to pe Paid = USD 122,900

----------------------------------

TOTAL FUNDS ALREADY RAISED

The following funds have been raised and are still available to Marilyn

• Dubai - Medical Insurance - limit of USD 47,100 - covers inpatient (hospital) costs only. Limited to hospitals in Dubai and home country (Philippines)
  • Already spent = USD 14,390
  • Balance remaining = USD 26,330
• Dubai - Funds raised by students & parents at her school - USD 5,430
  • Already spent = USD 1335
  • Balance remaining = USD 4,095
• GoGetFunding 1st campaign - amount raised USD 1,275
  • Amount spent = 0
  • Balance remaining = USD 1,275

Total Funds still available = USD 31,700

-----------------------------------------

AMOUNT NEEDED TO COMPLETE TREATMENT

The additional funds required to complete her treatment and support her family while she is in treatment is = USD 91,200 (USD 122,900 less USD 31,700).

This is the amount we are hoping to raise in this campaign.

THANK YOU

We are appealing to your generous hearts to assist us in raising the funds desperately needed for Marilyn's bone marrow treatment. She has a long road of recovery in front of her but she remains patient and in good spirits.

Any contribution small or large is welcome and greatly appreciated and certainly will make a difference in enabling Marilyn's treatment. Thank you and please keep Marilyn in your prayers.