TL;DR

Hi, my name is Marielle and I am fundraising to help my niece and her family ease the burden of the financial cost of her cancer treatments. You can help by; donating, sharing this fundraiser, sending hopeful messages or including her in your prayers. Thank you for your unending support, love and kindness. You are greatly appreciated!

Aiah

Aiah is the daughter of my dearest cousin Aira whom I closely grew up and spent most of my childhood with. The 4-year-old girl, as I know from our video calls, is bubbly, sweet and enthusiastic who likes to draw, dance, sing, and play with miniature kitchen sets and make-up toys. She treats her toys like precious gems by organizing every piece with love and care. She loves to learn and was very excited to attend nursery school.

Discovery

Until in October 2022, she kept having on and off fever for a month. Then, she started having infections around her mouth and eyes that were not healing. She was admitted to the hospital and discovered that she does not have enough hemoglobin. At this point, the doctor suspected that she has leukemia but did not have enough blood to do a proper examination. She drastically lost weight and energy as she did not have the appetite to eat. After three rounds of blood transfusion, the test was carried out. As a result, on October 23, 2022, she was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (ALL).

What is ALL?

ALL is a type of cancer of the blood and bone marrow — the spongy tissue inside bones where blood cells are made. This progress rapidly and creates immature blood cells, rather than mature ones. It is the most common type of cancer amongst children.

Meeting Aiah

It was my first time meeting Aiah in person when I visited the Philippines on October 27, 2022. It felt like she was a completely different person from what I knew through our video calls in Canada. She was quiet, reserved and did not budge even if people were greeting her and inviting her to play. At this time she was weak and unable to walk. She felt physical and emotional pain that she could not communicate and express. I witnessed her first chemotherapy, hence her initial hair fall.

Current State as of December 2022

On December 23rd, it was reported that there is < 0.07% cancer cells in her system. Hearing the great news brought us immense gratitude and joy, especially leading up to the holiday season. Currently, she can walk with minor assistance and her true bubbly character and the colours on her face are starting to reappear. Although this is the current state, she will continue with chemotherapy for 3 years to ensure the cancer does not come back. We pray that this positive progress will continue.

Financial Situation

Her mother was forced to resign her job to take care of Aiah as her physical, mental and medical needs require non-stop attention, alongside with his 3-year-old brother. The rest of her family shows support by helping out with a fraction of the expenses. We seek support from the municipal government as much as we could. However, in the Philippines, any medical treatments and procedures are not publicly covered. Financial capability is a major concern with the long journey ahead.

Hope

We believe that our little fighter is going to win the fight against cancer. But before conquering, she and her family must face many physical, emotional, and financial challenges. Please help her fight cancer by donating to this fundraiser, sharing this fundraiser in any way or form, sending supporting and encouraging messages and/or including her in your prayers. Thank you for your time and for your thoughts and prayers. God bless!