Hi! My name is Ashley, and my father, Herbert Olavario, was recently diagnosed with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia. CLL is a type of blood cancer that is obviously fatal if untreated. I would like to take this time to ask for your financial assistance to help with my father’s medical expenses and our family’s living expenses while he undergoes treatment for his condition.
My Father is only 40 years old. He is married to my mother, Giselle Olavario and has three children, including myself, Chloe and Gabriel. He is a kind, loving and generous Son, Father and Husband who always puts his family’s needs before his own. My parents had me when they were very young. So they went to the U.A.E so that they could provide for us. In 2017, they were able to get all 3 of us from the Philippines to Dubai because they wanted all of us to be together. When my family was complete, that time was the best moment of my life. Last year, my Grandmother (his Mom) got sick. Being the loving son that he is, he left UAE, and we all returned home to the Philippines so he could spend the last moments of her life with him by her side.
After my Grandmother passed away, my parents decided to take a chance for all of us to go to Canada. All 5 of us are living in London, Canada, at the moment. My Mother and I are currently international students. Dad worked as a forklift operator to provide for the family. Money is tight, but it was possible because my mom and dad are both working hard to reach our goals.
In terms of his health, he had been losing some weight for the past several months, which we attributed to several hours of difficult manual labor every day due to the nature of his work. This January 11th, 2022, we brought him to the Emergency Room with 1 ½ weeks of symptoms of cough, shortness of breath, fatigue and fever. He did have COVID 19 infection, as we thought, but labwork also revealed severe anemia and signs of a blood malignancy.
He was referred to a Hematology/Oncologist and had a thorough medical workup. We had been back and forth to the Emergency Department as he needed several blood transfusions. His Hemoglobin level went as low as 4.9g/dL. PET scan showed the extensive spread of cancer all over his body. Last week, he was finally given a diagnosis of “Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia” of the most Extensive Stage per his specialist. We were told that despite being Stage IV CLL, unlike other types of cancer, he can slowly get better to baseline functioning, but he would need to take a medication called Acalabrutinib indefinitely. Insurance coverage for this Medication is really uncertain as we are not Canadian Citizens, and approval is typically a long process.
My Father has been the one mostly supporting us because my Mom and I are only legally allowed to work no more than 20 hours per week. We are in need of financial help for his medical expenses, our tuition and basic living costs while my Dad, who previously worked as a forklift operator, is unable to work while we are studying. Our Canadian VISA is based on our Student Status, so we cannot really postpone our schooling and legally work beyond that 20-hour limit even if we wanted to. Also, there is just one more year left for my Mother to finish her degree. We just really need to capitalize on this opportunity and get past this hump for our lives to all change for the better and for our dreams to come true. My Father has always been a hard worker. I am sure that he would go back to work if he physically could, but Cancer is taking a toll on his body.
My father is not only physically very sick, but I am sure that he is emotionally suffering as well. Constantly worrying about how to provide for our family every day. It saddens me that we could lose him. Please help us win this battle. My youngest brother is only ten years old. He needs his Dad. We all need him. I don’t want him to be just a memory. Any amount would be greatly appreciated to help us during this challenging time.