Stem Cell Transplant to Help Mighty Eli Survive Acute Myeloid Leukemia

Due to the new policies for Paypal, the new crowdfunding site is:

https://www.gofundme.com/GoMightyEliFight

Hello, my name is Jan. I am a single mom gifted with an amazing 9-year-old son named Eli. Like any mother, my child is my entire world. I work hard to give him the best future. I want him to grow up and not experience the hardships I had in life: difficulty in paying off school, not having a house of our own, and starting a career from scratch--that is, from being a call center agent to being a sales agent. When I had Eli at a young age, I promised myself that he will have a life where he can be whatever he wants to be. I will support his dreams no matter what.

Eli is the best son any mother can ask for. He is mature for his age and understands I have to be absent at times because of work. He is very kindhearted and would be emotional when he sees touching stories on TV. He is also a consistent honors student and dreams of becoming an architect. In short, life was good. We may be far from the dream that I have, but we were on track.

Then October 31, 2016 happened. A fever, which prompted me to bring Eli to the hospital, turned out to be Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML). The dreaded A-M-L: the most fatal of all blood cancers. How can this happen? Eli was at the peak of his health and rarely gets sick. How come the doctors are telling me he may only have eight months to live? I was devastated and confused, but most of all, heartbroken for my little boy who was inside the room patiently waiting to find out what is making him sick. I asked the doctors, what's the plan? So, what now?

AML, an aggressive cancer, has a survival rate of only 30%. It means that only 3 out of 10 people get to survive AML. However, according to the doctors, a stem cell transplant will give him a 70% chance of survival. Seventy percent. From the 30% they were telling me, I started to hope.

Yet, stem cell transplant is expensive. As a single mother, I cannot do it alone. I need your help. This is going to be a long fight, but that's okay. What is important is that HE GETS A FIGHTING CHANCE... and it starts with the transplant. The sooner he can get the transplant, the better.

Eli will be celebrating his 10th birthday this January 19, 2017. By that time, I hope I can finally tell him that we already have the means for him to undergo the transplant. I believe Eli can win this fight. I believe he can win this fight through your kindness and support. As a single mother, this is the best I can do for him. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you very much! Please help us win this fight!

HOW TO DONATE: (PAYPAL ACCOUNT NOT REQUIRED)

1. Click payment through Paypal option.

2. Click second option "Pay through credit/debit card".

OR

Personal Banking Details:

Bank: Bank of the Philippine Islands

Account Type: Savings

Account Name: Jan Nicola Recio Marfil

Account Number: 2679-0978-17

My personal e-mail too is at [email protected]

----UPDATE AS OF JANUARY 30, 2017----

A Brief Timeline of Developments:

-December 1: We found that Eli was resistant to the first chemotherapy. We were transferred to what is considered the best hospital in the Philippines as the hospital has a team of doctors regarded as most capable of handling Eli's condition.

-December 10: Start of second chemo cycle using the British protocol. Second attempt to put AML in remission to proceed to transplant.

-December 29: Eli was found to have a genetic mutation that explains why he was resistant to chemotherapy.

-January 15: Second chemotherapy cycle was again a failure. Eli's blood count still showed cancer cells that are multiplying aggressively, from a 2% count to a 97% count within days. We were offered the final option of the third chemotherapy cycle that will use the FLAG-Ida protocol, what is considered the best and last resort for Eli to have remission. Fludarabine, a drug not available in the Philippines, will be used for the chemo cycle.

-January 19: Eli's 10th birthday. He was granted a four day vacation to celebrate his birthday outside the hospital with family and friends.

-January 24: Eli's return to the hospital and start of the third chemo cycle. The third chemo cycle will take another 5 weeks.

Every chemo cycle resets Eli's medical fund back to zero. We have never anticipated Eli will be resistant to chemotherapy when the campaign was launched. We are mobilizing all resources and all efforts to make sure Eli fights the good fight with AML. He will never fight alone.