HOPE and defying statistics.

UPDATED POST

I am keeping you updated on the events as we are all in this together, and updating is also an outlet for me to recollect myself and cope. Your thoughtfulness in reaching out and remembering us in your prayers means a lot. Your support helps keep us steady during these turbulent times. THANK YOU!

TO ANNOUNCE THAT VIRGINIA FORTICH HAVE ALREADY JOINED WITH OUR CREATOR ON FEBRUARY 19, 2024 at 02:30 AM. Hence, I will be closing the account.
________________________________________

The initial reason I initiated this account was to raise funds to get her started on Immunotherapy to be done as outpatient. Unfortunately, due to unforeseen events, mama was readmitted (February 15) a day after being discharged. 

While the family reunited from near and far, we wish to keep her longer. Yet, accepting that she is near end of her life remained tough, it’s just difficult to accept. Witnessing her decline is so agonizing. So I maintain to be calm and composed to be able to tend to her needs properly and influencing my loved ones to focus on what we can control instead of emotional distress. 

Feb 15 Our flight to Philippines. While waiting boarding, my brother back home updated that mama had episodes of vomiting with abdominal pain. Went ER, just for work ups but eventually was instead advised for admission (Peritonitis secondary to ruptured diverticulitis). I was so worried that she might not be stable enough to undergo a surgery and that I am not at her side when things get bad.

Feb 16 Our arrival in Philippines. My older brother and I went straight to the hospital when we learned that she’s unstable (No BP and HR >130s: uncontrolled a-fibrillation). Made aware, surgery wasn’t done but instead, was inserted with NGT (open to drain). Started on inotropes and antibiotics were shifted, she was septic. Advised for ICU but mama declined. Due to her current health status, the benefits of immunotherapy were unlikely, so it was put on hold.

Feb 17 Gradually increasing HR >150-160s and mama’s level of consciousness declining. On double inotropes, started with amiodarone infusion. Limbs getting cooler to touch, poking for blood draws was challenging. I advocated for a central line. Initially was scheduled at noon time but she was kept on hold as she was not cleared by cardiology to be transported to OR for the procedure. Her peripheral sites, was losing one by one while waiting for the procedure to get done. I inserted another IV site since I presumed that the current IV sites in place was no longer reliable, her hands getting swollen as IV pumps keeps beeping and beeping. Resident MD attempted to convince surgery to do it at bedside. Clash of medical opinion caused the delay, so I instead signed a waiver to push through with the procedure despite of the very high risk that she might go cardiac arrest during transport to OR. 15 minutes before 8pm, I escorted and waited for her. It was uneventful and I was so glad to see mama wheeled out from the OR room less than an hour. I’m so proud of her.

Feb 18 We swapped with my brothers and this time, it was me who stayed in the hospital for the whole day. I was told that since she had her pain medication early morning then she was sleeping afterwards. I sponge cleaned her and did oral care to mama but I noted that her reflexes were absent. I was alone in the room that I realized my mama was comatose/Brain dead. I stayed with her in the bed and hugged her. I sobbed and thoughts running in my head if we should just go home but I wouldn’t be able to witnessed when her heart stops since she won’t be on the monitor. I thought of staying in the hospital instead and request to stop all her medications. She was also referred to a Nephrologist, 6H SLED dialysis was suggested. I was hesitant if it will still help but I was still hopeful she might wake up during dialysis. So I escorted her down. During initiation of dialysis, I started to realize that I have pushed her too far. I was selfish to have her stayed longer when she already endured the pain for too long to be able to see us complete. I cried looking at her and at that moment I decided to consume the vasopressors then discontinue the dialysis. I have informed my family that she will be back in her room, and we all wait until her heart stops.
________________________________________

ORIGINAL POST

Hi everyone,

I am Zarah Fortich Borgonia, the middle child and the only daughter of Albert and Virginia Fortich. I am creating this Gofundme account for my mother, a non-smoker but is diagnosed with Stage IV Lung Cancer (EFGR).

We are not aiming to cure her, but we want to give her the chance to go as far as she can in her cancer journey. Bear with me in this lengthy story of how it all began.

March 2020, my mama slipped and fell on her knee. She was too scared to go to the hospital to have it checked since it was the first wave of Covid 19. Days passed, she developed shortness of breath with chest pains. Together with my brothers, we finally convinced her to seek medical check-up. That time, it was too difficult to book for doctor’s appointments online but we were fortunate to have great physicians within our extended family. Dr. Carlos Gerona, an orthopedic surgeon, checked her up initially and found a suspicious finding in the X-ray on her pelvic bone and so further work-up was done and she was referred to his daughter Dr. Amabelle Trina Gerona, an oncologist.

I was by myself in Canada, when I learn about the referral and the results of the scans done. Being the first one who knew about the real extent of her health condition, I have tried to carry it for a week, awaiting for the biopsy result and trying to take it in without breaking as I disclose mama’s condition to my family and her siblings. The medical team, our family, in-laws, her siblings, her trusted companion Ruping and above all, God, He blessed us with the resources and support we needed as she recuperate from her lung surgery.

September 2020 mama was diagnosed with Stage IV Lung Cancer. We were optimistic as she was responding well to her oral chemo, TAGRISSO, despite with a hefty price tag, together with my brothers, we tried to keep up with it as well as her routine checks CT scan every 3 months and a yearly PET scan as well as her ZOLEDRONIC IV session monthly to slow down the progression of her bone metastasis.

December 2020 I went home despite being not vaccinated during the wave of Covid. I was happy to see her myself doing well with her treatment.

January 2023 I spent 3 months of my maternity leave back home. So both grandparents and the families on both sides get to meet our baby Zayne. She was so happy to meet her first grandson at 6 months old.

September 2023 PET scan showed a new growth, brain metastasis. So she underwent radiation therapy. She was again responding well. Instead of 2 weeks, it was down to 10 days as she was able to tolerate the higher dose of radiation. However, few weeks post radiation, she looks frail as she was losing her hair and slowly losing weight since she was not eating much. Together with my brothers, we decided to come home and surprise her to somehow give her a boost. The earliest and cheapest fare we booked was for February 2024.

January 2024 drastic drop in her weight due to poor appetite and generally feeling weak.  

February 2024 she became too weak to the point of not being able to get up by herself and she has no strength at all to eat. Hence, she is currently admitted in Chong Hua Hospital, Mandaue (Philippines) for TPN/IV therapy and she’s also due for her routine checks. Unfortunately, further growth has been noted. Change of therapy regimen, Immunotherapy was suggested. IV KEYTRUDA every 3-6 weeks (administration frequency was not yet established during the encounter). This medication is twice as expensive compared to her current oral Chemo which is to be started as soon as possible and her current oral chemo be discontinued.

Mama’s decision regarding her care is our top priority. The suggested treatment is the last resort in her case. She would like to give it a shot and we want to give her the chance to fight back with her cancer but it’s financially challenging. Due to unforeseen events and our travel plans of coming home, our finances has been allocated and its too late to make the necessary changes or any sort of financial preparedness on our end.

For the first time in her cancer journey, we are at the verge of losing hope due to our personal (my brothers and I) struggles to be able to procure the funds sooner. Unfortunately, there are no other payment options to purchase the medication but only cash to the direct supplier, approximately for the medication alone, it costs 200,000php = 4,800cad for a single session.

Post Valentine’s day, we’ll be home. I’m on a two-week vacation leave and I would like to maximize this time to take care of my parents.

Hoping for some love and support to our mama in defying statistics. It says 5 years, she is on her 4th year. We are not tired of supporting her as she was with us growing up. We are tired with her cancer and we want to back her up in knocking her cancer as much as she can manage and it’s better that we will be around during her first Immunotherapy session.

Please help us help her go through this. Any amount goes a long way in her care. Thank you so much for taking time to read this and your kind donations and prayers are very much appreciated.