Sonia’s Medical Fund

Together with my brothers Sonny and Dino, I am appealing to your good hearts to help us raise funds to cover the mounting medical bills of our mother, Sonia. My brothers had been providing for our medical needs, but the family's financial resources are now taking a beating with this latest health challenge.

WHAT HAPPENED: On May 25, 2019, Sonia, 79, was brought to the Emergency Room of The Medical City by Dino and mom's caregiver Perla--she had lost consciousness for a few seconds after lunch, had come to, but was almost unresponsive. Tests showed that she had fluid in her lungs, a manifestation of aspiration pneumonia. She was losing oxygen. There are other issues--anemia and less-than-ideal nutrition levels, among others. Because there was a reasonably good chance for recovery, she was intubated and is now getting assistance for her breathing. (As of Day 4 in the hospital, however, she is being weaned from the machine. Fingers crossed they can extubate soon.)

ICU COSTS ARE GROWING: Because she is in the ICU, costs are high and it's all adding up really fast. On Day 2, the bill was already more than Php200,000. Confinement will most likely be at least one week. We're trying our best to see where we can reduce costs (like providing some of the supplies ourselves--gloves, gauze, diapers, underpads, etc), but we are already finding it a challenge to keep up.

HER MEDICAL HISTORY: She has had Parkinsons for a little over 30 years now, a condition that limits her mobility but also slows the functioning of her brain. Limited movement has also contributed to the loss of muscle mass, osteoporosis, an inability feed herself properly, digestive issues, and depression, among others.

In addition, the last couple of decades have dealt us with major medical and financial blows. In 2003, Sonia had open-heart surgery to replace her heart's mitral valve with an artificial one. In 2009, she went through a colectomy to remove a huge mass from her colon. In 2010, just four months after her colectomy, she sustained a subdural hematoma after falling from her bed. She underwent a craniotomy to relieve the pressure on her brain from the injury. In 2018, she developed a highly-contagious MRSA infection, which then required surgery and hospital confinement. (As if that were not enough, I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015. After a mastectomy, treatment went on for nearly two years.)

PLEASE HELP US: For all the sacrifices that our mother has made (especially after we lost our dad, Miniong, to naso-pharyngeal cancer in 1988), the least we could do for her is keep her as healthy as she can be as she approaches her twilight years. It's a strain, for sure, but we do it with love. Every donation made will bring us closer to our goal. We hope you can be a part of this effort, too.

Our deepest gratitude,

Rowena, Sonny, Dino