Support Christina & Dennis Labayen Fight COVID19
Donation protected
Dearest Friends and Family,
Thank you for visiting our GoFundMe Page. I'm Gabby - Ate Kweet's cousin but also self-proclaimed "sister" of Kweet (Christina), Yllah (Stella), and Lea! The saying "it takes a village" couldn't be more true and I'm calling on everyone for any help you can provide to the immediate family of Ate Kweet and Tito Deng (Dennis) who are both in the hospital in the Philippines battling COVID-19. Both have severe underlying health issues that are complicating their treatment, especially in a part of the world with limited resources where every aspect of their care comes with additional costs. (For example, even simple necessities such as toilet paper, gauze pads, and a pillow have associated costs and are not covered!)
The immediate family - Tito Deng, Tita Lorna (joined God in 2012), Ate Yllah, Ate Kweet, and Ate Lea - have dedicated their lives to their communities and I am hoping our village can provide the same type of support to them. From Lorna and Deng's time at Outreach International traveling to third world countries, Yllah's dedication to Asian Development Bank, Lea's profession as a doctor and nurse, Kweet's time as a counselor for struggling young women - and all of their time counseling our families and friends. We are kindly requesting your love and grace, whether it be in the form of a donation or even sharing in prayer.
I know this is a hard time for everyone so I want to emphasize that we do not want to pressure anyone to donate. This has been a particularly rough year, so we appreciate your time in reading our page and offering your thoughts and prayers. Additionally, if you have already donated through other means - thank you! If you do not feel comfortable donating through GoFundMe, please email [email redacted] for more information.
Update
Kweet was admitted to Medical City in Manila on March 11 when they discovered a fever before her regular dialysis appointment. At the ER they diagnosed her with pneumonia. On March 19 they admitted her to the ICU, with delay as it was at capacity, because her oxygen had been significantly dropping. The pneumonia has since progressed into additional complications and infections. She has been courageously fighting in the ICU, on bipap and NGT - but her body is naturally struggling as a result of her chronic kidney disease. She is conscious and fighting but she doesn’t check on her gadgets now (we always knew our Ate Kweet was okay when we would see her posts daily on Facebook and Instagram). The family has been trying to contact her periodically to share in prayer as she is isolated.
Kweet's Dad - Deng (Dennis) was also admitted to a hospital after his health quickly declined when symptoms of COVID began to show. Hospitals nearby and even in Metro Manila, also at capacity, would not take new suspected COVID patients at that time but they were able to get him into care in a far away hospital in Angeles, Pampanga. He remains in the hospital in steady condition with treatment for COVID pneumonia.
Yllah had driven her dad to get care and is now in quarantine while managing her sister and dad's health and their household from afar. Lea is in the US working as a hospice nurse - across the world from her family but in contact with Kweet and Deng's nurses and doctors when possible.
We continue to encourage and pray for them, especially Ate Kweet who is conscious and working to fight the infections in her body. We do not want their family to be burdened and worried about expenses - since they are in the Philippines they do not have the luxury of access to insurance and every minute and resource spent in the hospital becomes increasingly expensive (especially as they have been supporting out of pocket medical expenses since Kweet has been undergoing dialysis for the past four years). My wish is to relieve this weight from them and lift their family up in prayer.
Again, we appreciate your time and visit to our page.
Get To Know The Family
For more information on the Labayen family and their impact on the world:
https://opinion.inquirer.net/107496/lives-service-barrios
https://outreach-international.org/blog/congrats-dennis/
https://outreach-international.org/blog/remembering-lorna/
http://www.hmacofchrist.org/Newsletter/2012/Summer/index.pdf (page 7)
Thank you for visiting our GoFundMe Page. I'm Gabby - Ate Kweet's cousin but also self-proclaimed "sister" of Kweet (Christina), Yllah (Stella), and Lea! The saying "it takes a village" couldn't be more true and I'm calling on everyone for any help you can provide to the immediate family of Ate Kweet and Tito Deng (Dennis) who are both in the hospital in the Philippines battling COVID-19. Both have severe underlying health issues that are complicating their treatment, especially in a part of the world with limited resources where every aspect of their care comes with additional costs. (For example, even simple necessities such as toilet paper, gauze pads, and a pillow have associated costs and are not covered!)
The immediate family - Tito Deng, Tita Lorna (joined God in 2012), Ate Yllah, Ate Kweet, and Ate Lea - have dedicated their lives to their communities and I am hoping our village can provide the same type of support to them. From Lorna and Deng's time at Outreach International traveling to third world countries, Yllah's dedication to Asian Development Bank, Lea's profession as a doctor and nurse, Kweet's time as a counselor for struggling young women - and all of their time counseling our families and friends. We are kindly requesting your love and grace, whether it be in the form of a donation or even sharing in prayer.
I know this is a hard time for everyone so I want to emphasize that we do not want to pressure anyone to donate. This has been a particularly rough year, so we appreciate your time in reading our page and offering your thoughts and prayers. Additionally, if you have already donated through other means - thank you! If you do not feel comfortable donating through GoFundMe, please email [email redacted] for more information.
Update
Kweet was admitted to Medical City in Manila on March 11 when they discovered a fever before her regular dialysis appointment. At the ER they diagnosed her with pneumonia. On March 19 they admitted her to the ICU, with delay as it was at capacity, because her oxygen had been significantly dropping. The pneumonia has since progressed into additional complications and infections. She has been courageously fighting in the ICU, on bipap and NGT - but her body is naturally struggling as a result of her chronic kidney disease. She is conscious and fighting but she doesn’t check on her gadgets now (we always knew our Ate Kweet was okay when we would see her posts daily on Facebook and Instagram). The family has been trying to contact her periodically to share in prayer as she is isolated.
Kweet's Dad - Deng (Dennis) was also admitted to a hospital after his health quickly declined when symptoms of COVID began to show. Hospitals nearby and even in Metro Manila, also at capacity, would not take new suspected COVID patients at that time but they were able to get him into care in a far away hospital in Angeles, Pampanga. He remains in the hospital in steady condition with treatment for COVID pneumonia.
Yllah had driven her dad to get care and is now in quarantine while managing her sister and dad's health and their household from afar. Lea is in the US working as a hospice nurse - across the world from her family but in contact with Kweet and Deng's nurses and doctors when possible.
We continue to encourage and pray for them, especially Ate Kweet who is conscious and working to fight the infections in her body. We do not want their family to be burdened and worried about expenses - since they are in the Philippines they do not have the luxury of access to insurance and every minute and resource spent in the hospital becomes increasingly expensive (especially as they have been supporting out of pocket medical expenses since Kweet has been undergoing dialysis for the past four years). My wish is to relieve this weight from them and lift their family up in prayer.
Again, we appreciate your time and visit to our page.
Get To Know The Family
For more information on the Labayen family and their impact on the world:
https://opinion.inquirer.net/107496/lives-service-barrios
https://outreach-international.org/blog/congrats-dennis/
https://outreach-international.org/blog/remembering-lorna/
http://www.hmacofchrist.org/Newsletter/2012/Summer/index.pdf (page 7)
Organizer and beneficiary
Gabrielle Labayen
Organizer
Pasadena, CA
Lea Labayen
Beneficiary