Help Vivian beat Cancer

I am reaching out to all of you because I have finally started a GoFundMe page for my mother, Vivian Dizon, who is tragically suffering from Stage 3B Colon Cancer.  Since her initial diagnosis with colon cancer last year, my mother has undergone a hysterectomy and 12 sessions of chemotherapy.

I cannot fathom how my mother found the strength to accept that she has cancer.  No heartbreak in my life can compare to the devastation I felt upon learning she was battling the “Big C”.  My heart sank into my stomach, my world froze and everything that I thought mattered faded into the distance as the reality of her situation sank in.  Even then, I shut myself off from the world and refused to talk about the disease.  I thought that if I didn’t speak about it, it wouldn’t exist.  Before my mother’s diagnosis, I didn’t know very much about colon cancer.  After, I was torn between wanting to know more about the disease and not wanting to know anything because I was not sure I could handle the truth about her situation.

In fact, the first time it truly hit me that my mother had cancer was during her first chemotherapy session.  At the time, we were in the waiting area along with the other patients at the National Kidney and Transplant Institute, East Avenue – Philippines.  I was filled with emotion as I looked at all the other cancer patients with their heads wrapped in a scarf or a cap.  Watching my mother go through her treatments brought many dark days.  When a member of the family suffers from cancer, it’s like everyone has the disease because it is so crippling.  It changes family dynamics.  You are forced to learn new ways of living to accommodate the change.

I used to be thankful for having such a good memory.  Now, I feel cursed by my ability to remember things in detail:  the smell of the hospital, the colour of my mother’s hospital gown, and the way the big needle pricked into her skin.  I remember all the tests she underwent just to make sure her platelets remained in a normal state.  I remember how she vomited after her chemotherapy sessions and the way she would try to get up from her bed but was too weak to do so.  I tried to remain strong for her, but it was hard.  It is heart wrenching to see your mom lying in pain in a hospital bed.

I am a desperate daughter who has sold almost everything I own in a last-ditch effort to save my mom from cancer.  My Aunt Tita Lomotan and I sold our house last year and have used the proceeds for my Mom’s chemotherapy, surgeries and other medical expenses accrued in the Philippines.  I am now in the process of selling my car in an attempt to cover further medical treatment costs.  I do all of this in the hope of alleviating her pain.  My mother means more to me than any material possession.  But once my car is sold, I have nothing left to sell and the medical bills continue to grow.

My mother, Vivian, is currently in the hospital.  She was brought to the National Kidney and Transplant Institute - Philippines on Monday, May 28th due to severe stomach pain.  Her doctors suspect that the cancer has metastasized and spread to her liver.  If so, treatment options include further chemotherapy and other drug therapies, radiation therapy or surgery.

We are now raising funds for the next series of tests the doctors have said my mother must undergo including an endoscopy, a colonoscopy, and a PET Scan, as well as for future surgeries and treatments. Being sick in the Philippines can be extremely difficult – health care expense is mostly out of pocket and medical bills can easily pile up. In spite of everything, my mother Vivian has remained strong & positive for her family and has continued to have a huge heart as she has always been to the people around her.

My sisters Arvi-Jane Pesto, Arlene Dizon & my husband Raffy Padilla and our friends have been organizing fundraising events as well to help us with medical bills and other expenses.  Our family is so grateful for the unconditional love that we have for each other and for the remarkable friends who have stood by our sides during this very difficult time.

In this challenging time, we humbly ask for your prayers and help in raising money for my mother so she can continue her fight against cancer and enjoy life with her kids and grandchildren. Any donation would be highly appreciated and will help towards the anticipated medical expenses.