Help me with my battle against cancer

Dear friends, kindhearted individuals, and compassionate souls,

I am Merla D.T. Agbay, a 55-year-old Filipino currently residing at 35 Cambridge Crescent, Cooloongup Western Australia 6168, as a dependent of my husband, Randy Agbay, who holds a skilled worker visa. We have three daughters pursuing their education in the Philippines, and like any parents we hope to see them finish their studies and build their future.

In March 2022, after the COVID-19 pandemic, I arrived in Australia and was fortunate to work in Mt. Barker as a food processor for 10 months. However, life took an unexpected turn—I was diagnosed with Stage 3B HER2-positive breast cancer, an aggressive form of the disease. Without permanent residency in Australia, our insurance would not cover most of my treatments, particularly the life-saving immunotherapy (trastuzumab) that I desperately needed.

With my husband’s hard-earned remittances, my savings from work, the support of my siblings, friends, and compassionate doctors, I underwent 18 months of treatment in the Philippines—including surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and immunotherapy. By God’s grace, we carried that financial burden together.

In September 2024, I returned to Perth, hopeful that I could resume work and save for any future treatments, as recurrence rates for my cancer are high. However, during my visa renewal process in January 2025, I underwent a PET-CT scan, which revealed that my cancer had progressed to Stage 4 with lung metastasis.

Now, I urgently need chemotherapy and immunotherapy, which cost AUD 6,700 per cycle initially and AUD 4,000 per cycle for subsequent treatments. Our insurance does not cover these medications, yet my oncologist Dr Omar Faruque of Icon Cancer Centre at Rockingham strongly recommends trastuzumab and pertuzumab, the best treatments available for my condition.

Why I Am Reaching Out

Despite the overwhelming financial burden, I am not giving up. I want to fight, recover, and hopefully regain enough strength to work again—even part-time. My husband and I are doing everything we can, but we cannot do this alone.

With faith in God’s will and the kindness of people like you, we are humbly asking for any financial assistance to help me continue this life-saving treatment. Every bit of support—prayers, donations, and even sharing my story—brings us closer to hope and healing.

From the depths of my heart, I thank you—first and foremost, to our Creator and Divine Providence for unwavering strength, and to all those who will extend their kindness to me and my family.

 

For those willing to help, contributions can be sent to:

Australia

BSB 086-918

Account number: 72-881-3848

Account name: Merla Agbay

Philippines:

BPI

Account name: Merla De Torres-Agbay

Account number: 3339148049

With heartfelt gratitude,

Merla D.T. Agbay & Family

Note:  I am the beneficiary  this fund raising, not my daughter Eunice i'm just using her bank account.