Meet our little fighter Jace, born on January 18, 2014. A cheerful little boy, playful and very witty for his age. He loves to sing, dance, read books and play with cars. He is the source of joy and laughter of our home.
July 2015, we noticed a strip of blood in his poop. We thought it was just a lesion in the anus. The amount of blood gradually increased so we had his pediatrician check on him. He was diagnosed with Amoebiasis and was given anti-biotics for 3 days. The bleeding stopped for a while but went back after 2 weeks.
We were then referred to a Gastro-Intestinal specialist who initially gave the same diagnosis and asked us to continue with the anti-biotics for 7 more days. The bleeding did not stop this time and the amount grew. We went back for a check-up and we were told that they felt something during the rectal examination and were advised for him to undergo Colonoscopy. We looked for a 2nd opinion and were told the same thing. We did not push through with the Colonoscopy back then because of lack of funds.
Jace playing doctor with his dad
This is how his bleeding looks like
October 2015, we took him to the doctor in because the bleeding has increased. He was active as ever but looked really pale. He was admitted to Medical City Ortigas that day because he lost too much blood already and needed blood transfusion. A series of tests was done after that – Meckel’s Scan, Colonoscopy, Exploratory Laparotomy, and RBC Tagging.
Jace on his first few days at the hospital. Still playful as ever. Notice his IV is connected to his foot.
He was taken to the ICU twice and has acquired pneumonia and fever during our two-week stay in the hospital. He was not allowed to take in any form of food and lived with medication for more than a week. He had a convulsion twice where he turned black and blue, we thought we'd lose him. He became weak and irritable and I think he was traumatized by all the things done to him. but he is such a fighter.
The test results are all negative. The doctors cannot give a diagnosis as it was a rare case according to them.
His first time in the ICU after the Exploratory Laparotomy
2nd time in the ICU after RBC Tagging. He has tube attached to his nose. He also had a ventilator but it was already taken out when we took this photo.
Jace with my sister. Still managed to smile after recovering from the convulsion that scared everybody
We transferred to St. Lukes hospital, QC in the hopes of finding the cause of the bleeding and a way to put a stop to it. They have done 2 more rounds of RBC Tagging test but the results are still negative. We are now advised that the last resort will be to do an angiogram on him which is quite invasive for a child his age and pricey too.
We brought his favorite toys but he is wondering how he can play with his two hands filled with needles and tubes
Our little boy’s situation is so rare even the tests are not showing any signs of what is causing the bleeding.
We have already incurred more than half a million pesos with the previous hospital (not including the doctors’ fees) and are expecting more bills from the new hospital we transferred to.
We are seeking your assistance to help us fund his medical bills and hopefully find a cure to his rare case. We appreciate any amount of help you can give for Jace and we will forever be grateful.
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