Mama Norma's Medical Fund
Norma is a beautiful and loving 68-year-old mom to 6 children, a wife and loved by many. Born and raised in a small province in the Philippines. Despite the financial difficulties that most Filipino families suffer her spirit was never broken. Her laugh is infectious, her smile always bright. She is a loving and caring woman who never let life’s challenges get in the way of providing six children with a happy and healthy upbringing.
She recently became ill with pneumonia and was admitted to the hospital. After a battery of tests, we found out that she had developed kidney disease because of her Diabetes, High Blood Pressure and age. Diabetes sometimes damages kidneys so badly that they no longer work. When kidneys fail, the person needs to replace their function with either dialysis or a transplant.
Dialysis was what the hospital suggested and she has been in a treatment at a small public hospital near her province. As much as I love my country, I must admit with a heavy heart that the Philippines health care system is one of the worst in the world. It shares the same health care level with Africa.
There is unfair and inequitable access to health care that leaves the poor behind; low overall government spending on health; high out-of-pocket spending that impoverishes thousands of Filipino families; the Philippine health financing system does not provide a safety net from the financial consequences of illness. Because PhilHealth is unable to provide full insurance coverage, Filipinos who get sick can easily slide into poverty. According to the World Health Organization, kidney diseases ranked 8th among the top 10 causes of death in the Philippines.
The daily hospital costs plus the dialysis treatments have put all her loved ones into a frantic search for funding to help her in her time of need. Despite of all the effort my siblings who live in the Philippine’s who barely earn enough money to support themselves and my own efforts, we simply can’t raise enough money on our own. Our wish is to bring her home and continue the dialysis treatments there so that we won’t incur the daily costs of the hospital bills and so that she may be in a more comfortable environment. As a matter of fact, the hospital won’t even release her until the outstanding balance is paid in full.
We'd like to reach out to all our loved ones and friends to please open your hearts and help us raise enough funds to help offset some of the substantial medical costs she will incur.
HOW YOU CAN HELP TODAY
1. Donate what you can; any amount is much apreciated!
2. Share on all social media with the hashtag #HelpMamaNorma
3. Email GoFundMe link and these steps to all contacts
4. Share immediately and share often, time is of the essence
A family member who is a web marketing veteran has offered his services to show our appreciation for your donations. Please see the reward levels section for more information.
We thank you for your compassion and are grateful for your contribution!
We ask that you keep her in your prayers!
God Bless You!
