Help Give Papa a Chance to Heal
Donation protected
A wife and two children are knocking at your kind hearts to help save the life of their beloved Mr. Gerardo Baay.
Gerardo, most commonly known as Gerry, is a friend to many because of his outgoing and bubbly personality. He is always smiling, cracking jokes, making friends with new people he meets, and always ready to lend a helping hand to those in need. He is known to be a person to sacrifice his own needs to be able to help or assist other people.
He is 52 years young. He spent most of his life working for the church and serving the Lord in many ways he could. He plays the piano/organ during Holy Masses, he mentors church choirs, he worked at the parish office, he even did maintenance work for the churches he was assigned at. He dedicates his time for the church and its people because he loves doing so. He would spend countless hours and sleepless nights ensuring that the special events held during Christmas, Holy Week, and other special days for the Catholic community runs smoothly. Prior to being ill, he worked as a “Sacristan Mayor” for Mary Mother of Hope chapel under the Sta. Rita de Cascia parish in Quezon City, Philippines.
March of this year, he noticed a large lump on the right side of his abdomen and he drastically lost weight. After numerous tests and doctor’s appointments, he was diagnosed with renal carcinoma (kidney cancer) and had to undergo an emergent surgery due to the failing right kidney affecting his body. The tumor was biopsied after surgery and showed late stage cancer. This news broke the heart of his family as it is something they did not see coming.
After the surgery, he started to feel better and regained some strength. After thirty days of rest and recovery, he was very excited to return to work at the chapel. The family felt relief knowing that he’s recovering well.
Two weeks later, he started feeling short of breath, coughing more often, unable to do his usual activities, and having frequent headaches and dizziness. He had to stop work once again.
On June 4, 2018, the family’s worst fear came to life. A CT scan of his chest and head showed multiple areas of metastasis causing the symptoms above. The once jolly, active, and ray-of-sunshine person is now spending most of his time laying down, feeling very weak, unable to keep food down, holding his head due to pain, and having a hard time breathing. It pains the family to watch him suffer due to something they cannot easily manage.
I’m writing this story with a heavy heart because I feel every emotion and fear of this family. I am Gerry’s foster daughter and he took care of me as his own. He’s my papa and he went above and beyond as a father to me and his children. He’s a good soul, he has a heart of gold, and a smile that can light up the whole room. His family is my family.
His wife, Imelda Baay, and his two children, Francis Baay and Guadalaine Baay, are asking for your financial help. The money we aim to raise will be used to pay for the necessary radiation and oral tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) treatments in hopes of beating cancer. It will also greatly help in the expenses for his hospital stay.
We’ve been informed that radiation is beneficial for tumors of the brain, and that the tyrosine kinase inhibitor drug has had very promising results even on patients with metastatic cancer. The drug is a targeted therapy for the control and reduction of metastatic tumors particularly for the kind of cancer cells that he has. It will be imported from overseas, therefore, the cost is very high. The family and I are keeping our hopes high and we are trusting in the miracles of God. With prayers and the skill of healthcare professionals, we have faith that our papa may get a second chance at living life to the fullest.
Please help us help him. We thank you for your time reading this and for all the love that will be sent our way.
Gerardo, most commonly known as Gerry, is a friend to many because of his outgoing and bubbly personality. He is always smiling, cracking jokes, making friends with new people he meets, and always ready to lend a helping hand to those in need. He is known to be a person to sacrifice his own needs to be able to help or assist other people.
He is 52 years young. He spent most of his life working for the church and serving the Lord in many ways he could. He plays the piano/organ during Holy Masses, he mentors church choirs, he worked at the parish office, he even did maintenance work for the churches he was assigned at. He dedicates his time for the church and its people because he loves doing so. He would spend countless hours and sleepless nights ensuring that the special events held during Christmas, Holy Week, and other special days for the Catholic community runs smoothly. Prior to being ill, he worked as a “Sacristan Mayor” for Mary Mother of Hope chapel under the Sta. Rita de Cascia parish in Quezon City, Philippines.
March of this year, he noticed a large lump on the right side of his abdomen and he drastically lost weight. After numerous tests and doctor’s appointments, he was diagnosed with renal carcinoma (kidney cancer) and had to undergo an emergent surgery due to the failing right kidney affecting his body. The tumor was biopsied after surgery and showed late stage cancer. This news broke the heart of his family as it is something they did not see coming.
After the surgery, he started to feel better and regained some strength. After thirty days of rest and recovery, he was very excited to return to work at the chapel. The family felt relief knowing that he’s recovering well.
Two weeks later, he started feeling short of breath, coughing more often, unable to do his usual activities, and having frequent headaches and dizziness. He had to stop work once again.
On June 4, 2018, the family’s worst fear came to life. A CT scan of his chest and head showed multiple areas of metastasis causing the symptoms above. The once jolly, active, and ray-of-sunshine person is now spending most of his time laying down, feeling very weak, unable to keep food down, holding his head due to pain, and having a hard time breathing. It pains the family to watch him suffer due to something they cannot easily manage.
I’m writing this story with a heavy heart because I feel every emotion and fear of this family. I am Gerry’s foster daughter and he took care of me as his own. He’s my papa and he went above and beyond as a father to me and his children. He’s a good soul, he has a heart of gold, and a smile that can light up the whole room. His family is my family.
His wife, Imelda Baay, and his two children, Francis Baay and Guadalaine Baay, are asking for your financial help. The money we aim to raise will be used to pay for the necessary radiation and oral tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) treatments in hopes of beating cancer. It will also greatly help in the expenses for his hospital stay.
We’ve been informed that radiation is beneficial for tumors of the brain, and that the tyrosine kinase inhibitor drug has had very promising results even on patients with metastatic cancer. The drug is a targeted therapy for the control and reduction of metastatic tumors particularly for the kind of cancer cells that he has. It will be imported from overseas, therefore, the cost is very high. The family and I are keeping our hopes high and we are trusting in the miracles of God. With prayers and the skill of healthcare professionals, we have faith that our papa may get a second chance at living life to the fullest.
Please help us help him. We thank you for your time reading this and for all the love that will be sent our way.
Organizer
Zaidelaine Llena
Organizer
Laurel, VA