TIME is running out for a young boy in the Philippines facing a death sentence unless his mother and aunt here in Cyprus can raise the £2,000 hospital deposit needed for the urgent surgery that may yet save him.
The doctor at the Chinese hospital in Manila said the operation to remove the malignant brain tumour must be carried out within a month, at the outside. That was in the last week of May.
Now well into June, the boy is a suffering outpatient on painkiller medication, whose happy life of just three months ago has suddenly gone tragically wrong.
His family here and back home in the Philippines are distraught, desperately looking for ways to raise the money. Everything is in place for the operation – which could involve either traditional surgery or laser treatment. However, it simply will not happen unless that money is raised.
The story of the family tragedy was recounted by the boy’s aunt, Carie, and closer family friend, Ruby, both of whom live and work here in Cyprus.
One month after his mother, Analie Jean Mar, arrived here in Cyprus to work, her 11-year-old son, Antonio, fell and hurt his head while playing in a cliff-top area near his elementary school in the Philippines province of Albay.
With the benefit of hindsight, the fall may have been caused by dizziness, but the child did not immediately report the incident to his grandmother Imelda, who has been looking after him since his mother moved to Cyprus.
A week went by, then the previously healthy child complained to his grandmother of persistent headache. He then told her of the cliff fall, and she immediately took him to the family doctor, who prescribed painkillers.
The headaches persisted and two weeks later, the boy was suffering so intensely as to make him scream with pain. Also, his body was gradually becoming paralysed down the right side. He was again taken to the doctor, who recommended that he be seen a specialist in the city of Albay.
The specialist recommended a brain scan, which showed what looked like a small cist – or growth – on the surface of the brain. A month-long period of observation followed, then another scan was performed at the beginning of May. That showed the situation to be worsening. The specialist in Albay then recommended an MRI, for which Antonio had to make the 10-hour trip to Manila’s De Los Santos hospital – equipped for scanning but not laser treatment.
The ambulance to take him there was paid for by his boy scout troupe, and the costs of the MRI were covered by his school.
The MRI was performed in the second week of May, and the results from De Los Santos were sent to the highly-regarded Chinese hospital in the capital, which is equipped for both traditional brain surgery and laser treatment.
The doctor there stressed the urgency, saying action had to be taken within a month, but for that to happen, the hospital must be given a down payment of £2,000.
Jean was first made aware of the problem shortly after arriving here in Cyprus, and has been kept up to date with the worsening scenario since then. Her new employers here have been quick to respond and generous, offering £500 towards the cost of the operation.
Jean and her sister Carie, who came to Cyprus to work a year ago, have taken advances on their salaries and sent those back to the Philippines to help cover costs.
They are both paid-up holders of private health insurance in the Philippines, but the system apparently works better in principle than in practice, once they leave the country to work overseas. They are covered but cannot ensure an upfront guarantee from the insurance company that it will cover the costs of Antonio’s operation.
His grandmother is approaching the government authorities in Manila, but with little hope other than some painkillers, and possible post-operative medication.
A very close friend of the sisters, Ruby, who has been living in Cyprus for several years, has moved quickly to help co-ordinate fund-raising efforts here. She has been calling upon other ex-patriate Filipinas to give whatever they can as quickly as possibly to help raise the money, but it’s a race against time.
She and Carie have arranged for pictures to be sent here, as they make a desperate bid to save the life of young Antonio.
“Every time I go to my Mum’s place, I feel very happy hearing him singing and making up new words to songs, “ Carie recalls of the little boy who loves to sing, and improvise while doing so, as well as playing drums and basketball.
“I treat him like my small brother He grew up with my younger sister, Anna-Marie, (13) and they both called me ate” – meaning older sister.
For now, Jean, Carie and Ruby are putting on a brave face.
Coping with such a tragic turn of events affecting one’s children is already hard enough – adding huge distance makes it all the more cruel and hard to bear.
For now, the sisters, Ruby and the family back home are all hoping for a miracle, and fearful of every passing day.
n Jean Mar : 96-384452, Carie Mar : 99-895241
