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My name is Minerva Soriano, sister of Erald Soriano. Erald is a very loving son, brother and dad to his children.
Before Jan 1, 2024, he was full of joy, always pushing himself to do the best he could just so he could work and spend time with family, even though his kidney disease was becoming worse, complicated by frequent vomiting and regular need for dialysis.
To provide context, we (my brother Erald, my sister and myself) returned to the Philippines in December 2023, due to the passing of our beloved father who was supposed to return here in the US. While there, Erald's grief must have taken a toll on his health. He was found unresponsive on New Year's Eve, just approximately 20 minutes before midnight. Upon arrival to the ER, he had no pulse. He was resuscitated and was immediately revived. However, things have not been the same. He was in the ICU for 6 weeks, and two more weeks in a regular ward with his life support. He has been needing round-the-clock care, he is bedbound and remains unaware of his surroundings. Our family has done everything we could, all the following efforts, but to no avail:
- We did reach out to my brother's Medical insurance here in the U.S. to cover all his medical expenses in the Philippines, but they were not covered by Medicare. He had been terminated from his job as of January 2024 where he had secondary health insurance coverage. Unfortunately, that is no longer active.
- We also reached out to the U.S. embassy. They said that they would either contact all the relatives in the U.S. to ask for money, or the family would have to take out a loan to cover the cost of an air ambulance which is approximately $80k. Sadly the U.S. embassy is unable to provide financial aid. We are already in debt, and therefore we are unable to take out any more loans.
- We did try to seek help from the politicians but then we were referred back to the US embassy.
- We are also trying to bring him back here to the U.S. if possible to obtain the best medical care he needs.
On April 24, 2024, my brother was readmitted to the hospital because of a fever caused by the stage 3 pressure ulcer that he developed. He remains in the hospital as of this writing.
We are still holding onto hope because Erald seems to be fighting. He has regained strength in his extremities, lifts his head, and still shows emotions when he hears us talking to him, tracks everyone who sees him, and seemingly tries to talk through his tracheostomy.
Life is more valuable than money, but money is desperately needed to keep him alive with the hope that he will continue to make progress. We are asking for assistance now this time around to help pay for at least his medications.
On behalf of our family, we are in debt and grateful for every help that you could give us. Any amount will be a big help for our brother, family, and a friend who is in need.
We sincerely thank you for everything. May God bless your heart.
Organizer
