A little more than a month after Nanay underwent coronary angiogram, which revealed severe coronary artery disease, we have finally raised the amount needed for her coronary artery bypass graft (CABG). Nanay was admitted to the Philippine Heart Center (PHC) yesterday. We availed of PHC’s cheapest surgical package deal, which is good for an 8-day stay in the hospital.


Nanay's 1st day at PHC
God has really been good to us. He answered our prayers by providing for Nanay’s urgent medical need. Almost 45% of the total amount for her CABG came from donations from family and friends, while the remaining 55% came from a loan my husband took out from his office that my younger sister, my younger brother, and I have to pay for 5 years with interest.

To all those who helped us raise the money needed for Nanay’s operation, please accept our family’s sincerest gratitude for your generosity. Please also help us pray for the success of Nanay’s operation. The surgery is scheduled for Wednesday, June 9, 2010.

Yesterday, my sister Meann was asked by their pastor to deliver a message to those who attended the church service about our Nanay’s condition. This is one way Harvesters Christian Fellowship (HCF) is helping us raise the funds needed for our Nanay’s coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) or heart bypass surgery. The results of Nanay’s coronary angiogram performed at the Philippine Heart Center on April 28 showed that there is 80 to 90 percent blockage in her heart and three heart arteries are affected. I wasn’t able to witness this miraculous event as I was preparing food to bring to our parents’ house for our Mother’s Day celebration in the afternoon.

When my sister and I met after church service, she told me the good news. Many of her church mates are willing to help. In fact, three of them gave considerable amount yesterday for our Nanay’s bypass surgery. Some are asking for Nanay’s clinical abstract and medical certificate from the doctor about the need for bypass surgery and the amount needed for the procedure because they said they will approach other people for financial assistance for our mom. We’ll be handing those documents to them after the national and local elections today.

A few days after our Nanay’s coronary angiogram, we made appeals to relatives and friends through email and Facebook for financial help so we can come up with the amount needed for Nanay’s bypass surgery. There were a few people who responded to our call for help after we sent word about our Nanay’s predicament, and we’re truly grateful for their kindness and generosity. This simply shows that there are people who care about others and who are willing to lend a hand in times of need. The overwhelming support that our family is receiving right now is a manifestation of God’s hands at work because He alone can perform a miracle.

The doctor said Nanay’s bypass surgery will cost us anywhere from Php402, 000 to Php450,000.00. That amount is already very low, but still too high for our family to afford. My husband took out a big loan from his office, but his available credit limit won’t cover the entire amount. We haven’t informed Nanay of her heart condition yet, and all of us (our father and us siblings) agreed we will tell her of her bypass surgery once we have the full amount needed for the procedure. That’s to lessen her stress and worries. Please continue to pray for us.

If there’s one thing I realize in the past few days after Nanay underwent coronary angiogram at the Philippine Heart Center is that we can never be truly prepared for emergencies. The results of her angioram revealed that 80 to 90 percent of her heart is blocked and that three coronary arteries are affected. Narrowing or blockage of the coronary arteries can trigger a heart attack. Her doctor said what we can do now is maximize her medications and lessen her physical activity.

What Nanay really needs is bypass surgery. The doctor offered us a medical package amounting to a little more than Php400,000.00. According to him, this amount is already too low, and the Philippine Heart Center requires that we pay the whole amount upon patient admission. This sends us all scrambling for whatever ways we can help raise the amount needed for the surgery.

My sister made a Facebook appeal to her friends here and abroad to help us. I followed suit. My brother and nieces will do the same. My sister’s church mate knows someone at the PCSO who processes papers for bypass patients, and we will go to PCSO next week. Please help us pray that we can raise the money needed for Nanay’s bypass surgery soon. Your kind thoughts and prayers will mean a lot to us.

Nanay’s coronary angiogram was done at 9am today. She was brought back to her room at 11am, still groggy from the anesthesia. There was pressure dressing in her right groin where the catheter was inserted. A sandbag was also placed above the catheter insertion site for added pressure to prevent hematoma and/or bleeding. When her cardiologist arrived 2 hours later, he asked us if we’d like to have the results discussed in Nanay’s room or somewhere else. My sister and I chose to talk to the doctor in another room.

The prognosis is not good. Eighty to ninety percent of Nanay’s heart is blocked. Three coronary arteries are affected. The cardiologist said the problem cannot be solved by angioplasty. He is not too keen on bypass surgery either, although he said he’d consult with the heart surgeon about this option. As I was writing this post, the cardiologist texted me the heart surgeon’s opinion on the matter. He said bypass surgery might work. That gave us a glimmer of hope, but the cost of the surgery is something we can’t afford. He said we’ll be needing Php400,000.00 to Php450,000.00 for the entire surgical procedure.

We’re at a stalemate here. We’re not sure what to do next. We really don’t know if the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) can help. If there’s anybody out there who knows, please be kind enough to inform us. Your help will be greatly appreciated.

Nanay (my mother) was admitted at the Philippine Heart Center today. Her cardiologist/angiographer who arranged a room reservation for her admission advised us last Saturday to call the hospital’s Admitting Department at 12noon today. That’s to prevent long waiting time for the patient. I’ve been calling the hospital non-stop from 10am to 1pm, but I couldn’t get through. The line was always busy, so we decided to just go to the hospital and wait when a room would become available for Nanay.

We arrived at the hospital at 2:30pm. We didn’t know that kids below 7 years old aren’t allowed inside the hospital. Ergo, Justin and his Ate April had to wait outside. There was a good enough waiting area inside the hospital compound, which served as Justin’s temporary playground. We should have heeded the good doctor’s advice to go to the hospital only if we know for sure that there’s already a room available for Nanay because we waited for 4 hours at the hospital lobby. Only when we informed the admitting clerk that Nanay is already tired and needed to rest did a hospital staff escorted us to her room. The nurse on duty told us that the room was just recently vacated, which explained the long wait.

Because the room is quite small, only one person is allowed to stay with the patient after visiting hours. That has to be Tatay (my father). Before we left, we made sure to talk with the doctor who was making rounds at that time.. Nanay’s coronary angiogram is scheduled at 9am tomorrow, so my sister and I had to be at the hospital early. We’re all hoping for the best. Please help us pray that Nanay’s heart condition would not require surgery.