Fighting for Tessie

In the past three weeks, our lives have been turned upside down. My mother went from celebrating her 72nd birthday with the entire family to landing in the operating room for an emergency thyroidectomy. Our worst fear has come true -- she has the most aggressive form of thyroid cancer, and the prognosis is very poor.

She is currently confined in the ICU in one of Iloilo City's hospitals, where doctors are doing everything they can to help her. The medical bills are astronomical, and public health care and insurance in the Philippines are of no help in my mother's case. I am appealing for your kindness so my siblings and I can focus on her treatment after she gets discharged, possibly including palliative care.

We are not losing hope because my mom is a fighter! She has overcome so much in life and she will not give in that easily. Our hearts are broken with this diagnosis, but we have our mom's fortitude -- we will keep fighting for her.