For JP's Palliative Care
Donation protected
*UPDATE* It took us awhile before we could give an update regarding my brothers condition, we apologize. It is with a heavy heart that we announce the death of my brother John Paul. He passed away slowly and peacefully on the 24th of February 2021 at 6:17am after battling with his disease for exactly two months. There are no words to explain how we feel with the outcome of this war, but deep in our hearts we know it is God's will. We are so proud of our brave John Paul. He left us, his family, and all his friends very fond memories. Listening to eulogies during his wake made us all feel humbled to have known a soul with such a pure heart. We would like thank everyone reading this;
02/11/21: Hours prior his thoracentesis, a procedure in which a needle is inserted into the pleural space between the lungs and the chest wall. This procedure is done to remove excess fluid, known as a pleural effusion, from the pleural space to help you breathe easier, his oncologist paid us a visit and discussed treatmwnt options. He was only given one possible chemotherapeutic drug which is oxaliplatin and was also offered palliative or supportive care. It was explained that with his ongoing infection, they won't be able to administer the said chemo drug and would have to wait until the infection is resolved, however, since his cancer is quite aggressive, they don't think he would be eligible for chemo anymore. He was given week more or less. Later in the afternoon, he underwent his thoracentesis and after that procedure, everything went downhill. He started having what looked liked panic attacks, his O2 saturation, pulse and respirations were normal but he would exibit restlessness until finally his heart gave in and he suffered another heart attack. He also had hemopnuemothorax (is the condition of having air in the chest cavity (pneumothorax) and blood in the chest cavity (hemothorax)) they resucitated him and they had to insert a chest thoracostomy tube to address the issue, he was also intubated again. We are now in back in the ICU where he signed his DNR already once it was established that he was already coherent as he is very much aware of his condition. I along with the whole family would again like to thank everyone for the donations, shares amd prayers. Please do keep us in your prayers and if you can please do donate any amount you can share. THANK YOU AND GOD BLESS ALWAYS.
02/8/21 It is the morning of February 8, 2021 here in Manila Philippines and we are still in the hospital. After his second surgery, the doctors noticed a discharge on his suture (stitches) and they evaluated it and thought it was a fistula so they inserted a "sump drain" which handled the discharge, however, as days passed, the amount of discharge was not changing and my brother kept on having high-grade fever. Therefore, they asked for a CT scan to be performed and they confirmed that it was a leak from the anastomosis (surgical connection between two structures) which is another complication from his first surgery and not a fistula. We were given the option to either have another drain inserted or another explore lap surgery which is very risky at this point as this is his third one and his nutrition, as well as his whole body is not ready for it. My very brave brother decided to have the third surgery. In this third one, the goal was to clean the bowels and create a Hartmann's colostomy. The estimated time of operation given was one hour. He went in at 8:00 in the morning and then we got news that he was doing well and was ready to be wheeled out at 11:00 am. Time passed and there was still no sight of him. We got news that he was opened due to another bleeding and they had difficulty stitching him up because his tissues were very friable. He was wheeled out at 8:00 pm; His body was in so much stress and he was in so much pain. Days passed in the ICU, but this time it was different, things were lighter, and improvements were seen day after day. On February 2, 2021, we were able to move to a regular room after continuous improvement was seen on his condition. We are so grateful that we are no longer in the ICU! Thank God and thank you ALL for your continuous support and prayers. We could not have done it without you guys! He is continuously receiving treatments such as dialysis, antibiotics for 3 types of bacteria, one which is resistant to antibiotics and had to be tested just so we can get the proper antibiotic to treat it, an antifungal, and other medications which are now in oral form. He is also able to eat now and is building up his nutrition. There are a few bumps on the road to his recovery such as oxygen desaturation because of fluid in his lungs and today, they will perform another CT scan to check if there is a blood clot on his lung. We are STILL in need of financial assistance and prayers for his recovery. Please DO NOT hesitate to reach out if you need more information regarding his condition. Also PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE DO SHARE THIS POST to help reach out to more people. We need ALL the help we can get whether in prayers or in donations. Again, I would like to give thanks and to honor those who willingly shared their time, effort and resources.
01/20/21 "You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God." 2 Corinthians 9:11 We would like to honor those who were able to donate and share my brother's GoFundMe link. All of yiu have been so generous with your time and resources. THANK YOU SO MUCH. A quick update regarding my brother's condition, we got the scare of our lives last 13January2021 as things headed for the worst after his first surgery. The first 24 hours were more than rocky, he showed signs of respiratory distress coupled with distention in the abdominal area, a CT scan with dye was requested; We were a bit hesistant at first as we thought it was more important to save what's left of his kidney function but when the nephrologists gave the go signal we realized there was a more pressing issue. It turns out he needed to undergo another surgery 24 hours post op from his 1st one as a hematoma was seen and his hemoglobin levels were running low indicative of active bleeding. We were warned of the potential risk of him not being able to survive the second surgery as it will be very stressful for his already ailing body but my brother faced this headstrong and the surgery was done. It was the longest 4 hours of our lives as we waited for news outside the OR. By the grace of God, he survived. Unlike in his first surgery, they weren't able to wean him off of the ventilator right away and multiple bags of blood were needed to stabilize him. Right now, he's doing a great job recovering in the ICU. We are now at 7194 USD thanks to all of the donors we will still be needing a more for mechanical ventilator rent, more physician fees and for ICU fees. Please do continue to follow our story, share and if you can, please do donate. Thank you so much and God bless. 01/07/21- Great news! We were able to raise 6,134 USD as of 07January2021! We are only short of 14,866 USD to be able to reach our goal, and I, along with our whole family, would like to give thanks to those who stopped to read the post, to those who were generous with their time and shared the post, and to those who donated for my brother's cause. Words cannot express how genuinely grateful we are for the people who shared their blessings despite the ongoing pandemic. We are also thankful for those who kept us in their prayers. Along with thanksgiving, we would also like to give you guys an update about his current situation; he is still under dialysis, this time increased to a frequency of 3 times a week as advised by his physician while he is still inside the hospital. We recently had a meeting along with all his specialists regarding his treatment plan; as mentioned in the initial post, a mass was found along his sigmoid colon which was suspected to be cancer. Upon receiving the colonoscopy results, it was confirmed as stage four colon cancer with metastasis to the liver. Surgery was given as a solution to be able to remove the obstructive mass along his colon; then discussions about chemo and radiotherapy were also mentioned as treatment after the surgery to address the nodules on his liver. Right now, he is being prepared physically, emotionally and spiritually to undergo the said surgery. We are so blessed to have a great team of doctors who are supporting us throughout this journey. We would like to again give thanks to all of you. Please do continue to pray for my brother and if possible, please also share this post as much as you can. THANK YOU VERY MUCH! Hello! Greetings from the Philippines! This is my brother JP, he is 41 years old and his favorite holiday is Christmas. He is generous in giving gifts and making Christmas a special day for everyone around him. This was how he spent Christmas this 2020, in the hospital, yet with his spirits still up. On the 24th of December, we spent a day in the emergency room because he suddenly felt pain at the central part of his chest. When his blood pressure was taken it was found to have been 200/110 which came as a shock to us as he does not have a history of hypertension. Upon further lab tests, they found out that he had severe anemia, what seemed like a kidney disorder and was initially diagnosed with a heart attack. On Christmas day, he was admitted and was transfused with 3 bags of red blood cell. He was in pain and so many lab works were done that it exhausted and scared him so much. Yet, he was still keen on giving thanks to the nurses and the doctors whenever they attended to him. That is how he is, he never fails to give thanks and to greet everyone with a smile, even when in pain. After all the tests, he was then diagnosed with kidney failure with less than 10% of his kidney working which brought about the complications of an enlarged heart, severe anemia and at that time gastrointestinal bleeding. Dialysis was performed. After a series of more tests, the doctors found nodules on his liver and his colon which the doctors suspect as cancer. There are still a series of tests lined up for him (colonoscopy with biopsy and PET scan) plus a twice a week dialysis; as much help as we are getting it is still not enough because of increasing doctor's fees (he needs a lot of specialists by his side as most of his organs were damaged due to the uremia he experienced), more tests and hospital fees. We currently were able to raise 300, 000 PHP (8,600 USD). We are aiming to reach a target of 21,000 USD to be able to get through hospital bills, the new lab tests, dialysis, eventually kidney transplant and possible cancer treatment. It is so hard to reach out right now because we understand the challenges of the current situation, we are all in (pandemic). But I really do hope that you will be able to extend a helping hand to our family. To those who will fund for my brother's treatment, my family and I would like to thank you all in advance and may you always be blessed.
Those getting to know his story, those who shared his story with others and those who shared their blessings with our family. We would also like to thank GoFundMe for being available for families and individuals who are in great need. For those who are reading this and have lost someone, we are sharing the prayer below to somehow lift some of the heavy load in your hearts..
Lord, help us to see death for what it really is – the end of poverty and the beginning of riches; the end of frustration and the beginning of fulfillment; the end of fear and the beginning of tranquility; the end of pain and the beginning of joy; the end of weakness and the beginning of strength. Let not grief overwhelm us, or a sense of loss embitter us. But out of our sadness let there arise a new joy for so much given to us. Cast out our fears and let not our hearts be troubled.
Let Your spirit of peace come alive within our experience and hurt,
our sorrow and isolation, our sadness today and loneliness tomorrow.
THANK YOU ALL FOR SHARING YOUR BLESSINGS AND MAY GOD BLESS ALL OF US.
LOVE AND LIGHT ALWAYS
02/11/21: Hours prior his thoracentesis, a procedure in which a needle is inserted into the pleural space between the lungs and the chest wall. This procedure is done to remove excess fluid, known as a pleural effusion, from the pleural space to help you breathe easier, his oncologist paid us a visit and discussed treatmwnt options. He was only given one possible chemotherapeutic drug which is oxaliplatin and was also offered palliative or supportive care. It was explained that with his ongoing infection, they won't be able to administer the said chemo drug and would have to wait until the infection is resolved, however, since his cancer is quite aggressive, they don't think he would be eligible for chemo anymore. He was given week more or less. Later in the afternoon, he underwent his thoracentesis and after that procedure, everything went downhill. He started having what looked liked panic attacks, his O2 saturation, pulse and respirations were normal but he would exibit restlessness until finally his heart gave in and he suffered another heart attack. He also had hemopnuemothorax (is the condition of having air in the chest cavity (pneumothorax) and blood in the chest cavity (hemothorax)) they resucitated him and they had to insert a chest thoracostomy tube to address the issue, he was also intubated again. We are now in back in the ICU where he signed his DNR already once it was established that he was already coherent as he is very much aware of his condition. I along with the whole family would again like to thank everyone for the donations, shares amd prayers. Please do keep us in your prayers and if you can please do donate any amount you can share. THANK YOU AND GOD BLESS ALWAYS.
02/8/21 It is the morning of February 8, 2021 here in Manila Philippines and we are still in the hospital. After his second surgery, the doctors noticed a discharge on his suture (stitches) and they evaluated it and thought it was a fistula so they inserted a "sump drain" which handled the discharge, however, as days passed, the amount of discharge was not changing and my brother kept on having high-grade fever. Therefore, they asked for a CT scan to be performed and they confirmed that it was a leak from the anastomosis (surgical connection between two structures) which is another complication from his first surgery and not a fistula. We were given the option to either have another drain inserted or another explore lap surgery which is very risky at this point as this is his third one and his nutrition, as well as his whole body is not ready for it. My very brave brother decided to have the third surgery. In this third one, the goal was to clean the bowels and create a Hartmann's colostomy. The estimated time of operation given was one hour. He went in at 8:00 in the morning and then we got news that he was doing well and was ready to be wheeled out at 11:00 am. Time passed and there was still no sight of him. We got news that he was opened due to another bleeding and they had difficulty stitching him up because his tissues were very friable. He was wheeled out at 8:00 pm; His body was in so much stress and he was in so much pain. Days passed in the ICU, but this time it was different, things were lighter, and improvements were seen day after day. On February 2, 2021, we were able to move to a regular room after continuous improvement was seen on his condition. We are so grateful that we are no longer in the ICU! Thank God and thank you ALL for your continuous support and prayers. We could not have done it without you guys! He is continuously receiving treatments such as dialysis, antibiotics for 3 types of bacteria, one which is resistant to antibiotics and had to be tested just so we can get the proper antibiotic to treat it, an antifungal, and other medications which are now in oral form. He is also able to eat now and is building up his nutrition. There are a few bumps on the road to his recovery such as oxygen desaturation because of fluid in his lungs and today, they will perform another CT scan to check if there is a blood clot on his lung. We are STILL in need of financial assistance and prayers for his recovery. Please DO NOT hesitate to reach out if you need more information regarding his condition. Also PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE DO SHARE THIS POST to help reach out to more people. We need ALL the help we can get whether in prayers or in donations. Again, I would like to give thanks and to honor those who willingly shared their time, effort and resources.
01/20/21 "You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God." 2 Corinthians 9:11 We would like to honor those who were able to donate and share my brother's GoFundMe link. All of yiu have been so generous with your time and resources. THANK YOU SO MUCH. A quick update regarding my brother's condition, we got the scare of our lives last 13January2021 as things headed for the worst after his first surgery. The first 24 hours were more than rocky, he showed signs of respiratory distress coupled with distention in the abdominal area, a CT scan with dye was requested; We were a bit hesistant at first as we thought it was more important to save what's left of his kidney function but when the nephrologists gave the go signal we realized there was a more pressing issue. It turns out he needed to undergo another surgery 24 hours post op from his 1st one as a hematoma was seen and his hemoglobin levels were running low indicative of active bleeding. We were warned of the potential risk of him not being able to survive the second surgery as it will be very stressful for his already ailing body but my brother faced this headstrong and the surgery was done. It was the longest 4 hours of our lives as we waited for news outside the OR. By the grace of God, he survived. Unlike in his first surgery, they weren't able to wean him off of the ventilator right away and multiple bags of blood were needed to stabilize him. Right now, he's doing a great job recovering in the ICU. We are now at 7194 USD thanks to all of the donors we will still be needing a more for mechanical ventilator rent, more physician fees and for ICU fees. Please do continue to follow our story, share and if you can, please do donate. Thank you so much and God bless. 01/07/21- Great news! We were able to raise 6,134 USD as of 07January2021! We are only short of 14,866 USD to be able to reach our goal, and I, along with our whole family, would like to give thanks to those who stopped to read the post, to those who were generous with their time and shared the post, and to those who donated for my brother's cause. Words cannot express how genuinely grateful we are for the people who shared their blessings despite the ongoing pandemic. We are also thankful for those who kept us in their prayers. Along with thanksgiving, we would also like to give you guys an update about his current situation; he is still under dialysis, this time increased to a frequency of 3 times a week as advised by his physician while he is still inside the hospital. We recently had a meeting along with all his specialists regarding his treatment plan; as mentioned in the initial post, a mass was found along his sigmoid colon which was suspected to be cancer. Upon receiving the colonoscopy results, it was confirmed as stage four colon cancer with metastasis to the liver. Surgery was given as a solution to be able to remove the obstructive mass along his colon; then discussions about chemo and radiotherapy were also mentioned as treatment after the surgery to address the nodules on his liver. Right now, he is being prepared physically, emotionally and spiritually to undergo the said surgery. We are so blessed to have a great team of doctors who are supporting us throughout this journey. We would like to again give thanks to all of you. Please do continue to pray for my brother and if possible, please also share this post as much as you can. THANK YOU VERY MUCH! Hello! Greetings from the Philippines! This is my brother JP, he is 41 years old and his favorite holiday is Christmas. He is generous in giving gifts and making Christmas a special day for everyone around him. This was how he spent Christmas this 2020, in the hospital, yet with his spirits still up. On the 24th of December, we spent a day in the emergency room because he suddenly felt pain at the central part of his chest. When his blood pressure was taken it was found to have been 200/110 which came as a shock to us as he does not have a history of hypertension. Upon further lab tests, they found out that he had severe anemia, what seemed like a kidney disorder and was initially diagnosed with a heart attack. On Christmas day, he was admitted and was transfused with 3 bags of red blood cell. He was in pain and so many lab works were done that it exhausted and scared him so much. Yet, he was still keen on giving thanks to the nurses and the doctors whenever they attended to him. That is how he is, he never fails to give thanks and to greet everyone with a smile, even when in pain. After all the tests, he was then diagnosed with kidney failure with less than 10% of his kidney working which brought about the complications of an enlarged heart, severe anemia and at that time gastrointestinal bleeding. Dialysis was performed. After a series of more tests, the doctors found nodules on his liver and his colon which the doctors suspect as cancer. There are still a series of tests lined up for him (colonoscopy with biopsy and PET scan) plus a twice a week dialysis; as much help as we are getting it is still not enough because of increasing doctor's fees (he needs a lot of specialists by his side as most of his organs were damaged due to the uremia he experienced), more tests and hospital fees. We currently were able to raise 300, 000 PHP (8,600 USD). We are aiming to reach a target of 21,000 USD to be able to get through hospital bills, the new lab tests, dialysis, eventually kidney transplant and possible cancer treatment. It is so hard to reach out right now because we understand the challenges of the current situation, we are all in (pandemic). But I really do hope that you will be able to extend a helping hand to our family. To those who will fund for my brother's treatment, my family and I would like to thank you all in advance and may you always be blessed.
Organizer
Jose Antonio Estipona
Organizer
Las Vegas, NV
