Heart Surgery for Sam - Urgent

In recent humanitarian efforts in the Philippines we met one family that had an extraordinary healthcare need. RizaMae Manulat ( her family call her Sam) was told by her doctor that her Rheumatic Heart Disease had advanced to require urgent heart surgery to save her life.  The family cannot afford this surgery and were resigned to lose their mother, wife, sister and friend.

 Some of our volunteers have banded together to help.

We have just received very good news from Sunrise Hospital in Las Vegas with a generous offer to provide the hospital services and post-op care. There is also a surgical team offering their services pro-bono, coordinated by Dr. Paul Reynolds, one of our Philippines Medical volunteers.  Senator Dean Heller's office is now assisting with visa processing for Sam and her traveling companions. She has never been in an airplane. It's a daunting undertaking. 

Our fundraising effort is to raise money for travel healthcare preliminaries, travel documents and expenses to get to Sunrise Hospital and home. Volunteers are also providing housing and support for Sam in the USA.  

Here is Sam's story in her own words:

Hello!
Thank you for giving your precious time to listen to my story and meeting my family.

My name is Riza Mae Alivio Manulat. My family calls me “Sam”. I’m happily married to my husband Reynaldo Manulat and blessed with a beautiful daughter named Felicity Zoe A. Manulat. My mother and father are Mrs. Teodora Alivio and Mr.Ricardo Alivio.

We lived in a small house in Mandaue City Cebu Philippines. My husband works at Philippines Spring Water Resources Incorporated as Sales Agent.

Our family recently knows that I need to undergo urgent heart surgery to save my life.
We have friends helping us now to make this possible as well as kindhearted doctors and hospital who are making donations. I hope and pray that this will work because I want to be able to raise my daughter, be a mother to her most challenging moments that life may bring and be a good wife to my husband.

We cannot afford this major surgery. We are now trying to raise enough money for healthcare, our passports and travel to USA hospital who will then donate the surgery needed. We are very happy to hear that Sunrise hospital will donate their services. Now, we hope we can make the travel the soonest. I am humbly asking your generous hearts for financial support. Any amount will count for my survival and forever I will be grateful to all of you for giving me another chance to live with my family. Thank you so much for your generosity. God blesses you more for helping.
Sincerely, 
Sam