Help Katrina Overcome Her Health Battles

My name is Bingoy Gonzales, husband to Katrina, the love of my life and a kind and generous soul. We are from The Philippines. My wife Kat is 49 years old. We are both passionate dog lovers, sharing our lives with our two big dogs, Bertha and Kaylee, both 6 years old. We have no children, so our dogs are our “babies,” so to speak. We live in

Late in May, Kat hadn’t been feeling well. She complained of a slight nighttime fever and abdominal discomfort. She was due for her annual checkup with her OB-GYN, so she underwent some routine tests.

On May 30th, my mother passed away. We traveled to Cebu to be with family during this difficult time. Upon our return, we saw her OB-GYN with the results of a transvaginal ultrasound. We were shocked to find what appeared to be a large tumor in her abdomen. There was nothing seen in the previous examination she had only a year before. Further blood tests showed all the markers of malignancy, and her CT scan revealed not one but two large masses in her ovaries.

We entrusted everything to God, praying for His miraculous healing. Family and friends have also been praying throughout this ordeal for Katrina.

Doctors couldn’t confirm whether the masses were benign or malignant until after a TAHBSO (total hysterectomy) procedure. The initial shock of likely having cancer scared us. We know people who have been touched by this disease, but we never thought it would enter our lives so suddenly.

Kat was operated on this past Tuesday, June 18th. It was a long but successful operation, and the surgical team of three was able to remove all visible traces of the tumors. Her GYN-oncologist informed her parents and me that the tumor on the right side was the size of a small basketball and had ruptured. They removed it and cleaned her up just in time. They also took samples of her lymph nodes for biopsy to determine if she was already in a metastatic stage. For now, pending the biopsy results, her diagnosis is ovarian cancer stage IIB.

Her doctors said she needed to heal quickly so we could begin chemotherapy treatments. Unfortunately, things didn’t go as planned.

Over the next three days, she had a cerebral embolism (a mild stroke), and she was being tested for sepsis due to infection and possible demand ischemia, a type of heart attack where the heart doesn’t get enough oxygen. She started with three medical specialists when she was admitted, but now seven or eight specialists closely monitor her condition with their respective teams.

Today, she is undergoing more tests to find the source of the clot that entered her brain. Throughout these trials, our families and friends continue to pray for Kat’s complete healing. I do not doubt that God hears our prayers.

As we face these battles one by one, alongside our families and our caring and professional medical team, we can’t help but be daunted and fearful of the costs that we will not be able to cover. Our available medical coverage, which wasn’t much to begin with, was already depleted due to the numerous tests she went through before being admitted to the hospital. By the end of the first 24 hours, the initial billing amount had already exceeded our remaining coverage. My modest savings will be used up before we can completely settle our dues with the hospital. Then, there is the cost of chemotherapy and medications for her stroke.

For this reason, we are reaching out far and wide to friends and even friends of friends who might have a little extra to spare and the heart and compassion to help. Any amount will be a blessing to Katrina, and we will be forever indebted to you.

If you wish to send via bank transfer 

• Katrina Marie L. Gonzales BDO Savings: 00 [phone redacted]  • Leo Emmanuel Gonzales Maya: +63 [phone redacted] 

• Gcash: +63 [phone redacted]

Most importantly, please include Katrina in your daily reflections and prayers. Pray for her complete and fast healing, and please pray for provision, comfort, and strength as we fight these goliath battles.

We thank you. From our hearts to yours, we remain,

Bingoy and Katrina Gonzales