Hi there, my name is Scott Jenkins and I am asking for your help. I wouldn't usually ask for help, but... I just don't think I can handle this all by myself.

My cousin, Dennis Ampatin, lives in the Philippines and for anyone that knows anything about life there, it truly isn't easy.

Dennis reached out to me via messenger on Saturday the 31st of July. He was pleading for my prayers, for his daughter, Erica, was very unwell in hospital. At that time, he didn't know why she was so ill, the Doctors were doing tests to determine what was wrong.

Later that day, I received another message from Dennis saying they had found out their little baby, Erica had Dengue Fever.

From there, Erica was suffering from severe seizures and the Doctors put her into an induced coma.

Dennis and his family had to make some quick decisions as to what they were going to do next, the doctors advice was that she had to go into ICU for a complex and risky operation.

From what my cousin was telling me, there was bleeding on the brain , so they had to actually operate to create a line through her neck.

I am extremely devastated to say, Erica at only 5 months of age, passed away after her operation. I don't fully understand Dennis' family's pain, however, having lost our own baby at birth a few years ago, I have some idea.

What also pains me to say, is the terrible debt this has put my cousin in. My brother, Mum and I have already sent over some money to help him, but it's just not enough. He still has a hospital bill to pay. The bill for a week came to 200,000 PHP or $5,500 AUD.

Please take into account, the average wage in the Philippines is approximately $3000 per year

When Yvette and I lost our baby, she was in and out of hospital for weeks before giving birth to our still born child. That was really hard for us, yet I can't help but reflect on how fortunate enough we were, to pay NOTHING at the end of it all.

I must also mention, the hospital WEREN'T going to release his deceased baby, until this account was settled. Dennis was fortunate to have someone in a department talk to the doctors who then released their baby so they can have a proper funeral. (As I write this, I got a video from Dennis showing me Erica being prepared for her funeral.)

So today, I am pleading with ANY of you, to donate what you can, to help get my cousin and his family back on their feet.

Yes I am asking for more than what he owes, but at present, he's had to give up his Scooter as collateral and I am certain it's going to take him a lot to get back to some level of normality, after such a sad and traumatic event.

Life for many in the Philippines is a tough slog in general, my cousin and his family don't need the financial burden to deal with as well as the grief from losing their baby.

If you have any questions, then please reach out to me by sending me a message

Thank you for your time.

Scott Jenkins