Carol's Fight against Cancer

I have known Armin since I was in high school. I met Carol when she was pregnant with their first and only child, Lorenzo. We hit it off immediately, laughing and talking like we'd known each other forever.

Carol and Armin Caratao have always been a private, humble family experiencing happiness and hardships together. Their son, Lorenzo, suffered from febrile seizures as a baby. Carol also lost her father to lung cancer, and one of her older sisters to colon cancer.

Now, my dear friend Carol has been diagnosed with Stage IV aggressive cervical cancer.

They began chemotherapy sessions immediately. After only 2 sessions, she has already begun losing enough hair to warrant cutting it short.

Even through all this, Carol's bright smile and positive attitude continues to shine through. Her laughter has always been contagious, and her fierce love as a mother, wife, friend, sister, and daughter is apparent to everyone around her. Their belief and faith in God, hope and the love of family and friends has always taken care of them.

Being born and raised in the Philippines, Carol was fortunate to grow up with a large and loving family. Despite the distance, she and her 8 siblings remain extremely close and FaceTime regularly.

Living in Houston has been a blessing because of the access to some of the most advanced hospitals in the world. But it also means she is thousands of miles from her family, many of whom she has not seen in 8 years.

Please consider donating to the Caratao's during their time of need.

Your kindness will help to pay for medical bills to help Carol fight cancer, and to bring her parents and siblings to not only help care for her family, but more importantly, be physically there when she needs it most.

Thank you so much in advance for your support and generosity of this wonderful family.