Mother of five needs urgent brain surgery in Manila.
Funding Request: $16,151.54 CAD
Critical Need: CNPSL0125
Josephine is a high-energy mother of five, two of whom have already graduated from college. Two of her school-aged children, Eva and Johm, are sponsored through Chalice’s Samar site. Josephine’s husband, Elizar, is a fish vendor, and they are prudent family managers.
Since June 2024, Josephine experienced dizziness and back pain. She took some pain relievers and assumed the issue would pass on its own. But her symptoms grew steadily worse.
By September, they were enough for her to go to the clinic and have some tests. They revealed she’d had a mild stroke. They treated her as an outpatient and advised her to rest well at home. But her condition did not improve. With the help of a Samar site fieldworker, her family returned her to the hospital, where doctors ran a CT scan. This revealed a brain tumour.
She was immediately admitted, and after three days, transferred to a second hospital for treatment and an MRI. Treatment continued until doctors concluded that surgery was too risky due to the tumour’s depth. They urged her family to transfer her to the specialists in Manila. But the capital is a 2.5 hour flight south, and far out of Elizar’s humble means.
At the time of writing, Josephine is back in the hospital near her home. She is bed bound and relies on a feeding tube. She cannot speak and can only make limited hand movements. But she shows no signs of giving up.
The Samar site staff have therefore requested $16,151.54 CAD to get Josephine the life-saving surgery in Manila. This budget covers her surgery, medicine, lab tests, professional fees, food and effects for travel, personal hygiene items, and ambulance transportation.
DONATEPlease note that any donations that exceed the request will be used to fund other critical need emergencies that may arise.