"A friend is like a brother or a sister."

My name is Dee and I am creating this page to help raise funds for our friend in the Philippines who was in the ICU for a brain bleed and now needs financial support so he can go home to his family. His name is Jessie Casalda, 50 years old, and before this unfortunate incident happened, he was living his life as a normal person should. He is a hardworking dad trying to provide for his family - a wife and 4 kids. He's the breadwinner of the family and his loving wife, Jai, helps out in any way she can. They have a simple life and a happy one, and their main goal is for their kids to go to school, go to college, graduate, and get a job to weave their own dreams.

But it was cut short on Dec. 11, 2025, when he started vomiting and didn't feel well. They were able to bring him to the hospital, but he collapsed and since then he hasn't fully regained consciousness. The findings were vague - it was a combination of a brain bleed and infection in the brain. He was having fevers and seizures almost daily when he was admitted, and suddenly his oxygen went very low that they needed to intubate him. In the days that followed, they did a tracheostomy (made a hole in his throat) to support his breathing. He started bleeding in his mouth and started turning yellow. We thought we would lose him, but he was fighting for his life every day. His wife was always by his side, whispering words of encouragement to show her love and support. Day after day, his family was struggling to keep up with his expensive daily medications, mostly bought with money loaned or borrowed from friends or institutions. The doctor's prognosis was poor - they said he's not going to make it, but if he does, he will be in a vegetative state for the rest of his life. But he defied all odds - he can open his eyes, he can feel, and most importantly, he can move his extremities. When his friends or co-workers would visit him, he would start crying, according to his wife. A physical therapist started working with him, and he was transferred out of the ICU to a ward room. And now the financial struggle has set in. He's stable enough to be discharged back home, but the bills are too high, and the money they have isn't enough to pay all the bills. His wife tried to request to pay it in installments and have the deed of their land as collateral, but it was rejected. His wife had approached a lot of people, but they don't have that much. We, his friends, also asked for donations from everyone, but the money wasn't enough. Now his bills are piling up every day, and it can pile up more unless paid in full.

Thus, with a sincere heart, I am asking for financial support - to bring Jessie home and be with his family. I am asking for your generosity to help him and his family - a family man who spent his Christmas and New Year in the hospital fighting for his life and was given a poor prognosis but defied all odds and is now slowly recovering. Please, if you have the means to help out, help us bring Jessie home and donate to this cause.

All donations 100% will go to him and his family to aid in paying the hospital bills and take care of their daily basic needs as his family starts rebuilding their life with him, their sole breadwinner, incapacitated.

Thank you for your generous hearts. May your generosity come back to you a hundred-fold. I am also requesting if you can share this GoFundMe page with your friends, it will be a huge help because no contribution is small; every penny counts. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts - from Jessie's family and friends.