Help Princess Recover from Heart Failure!

A note from the organiser, Tina: Because GoFundMe doesn't transfer funds to the Philippines, I've organised the fundraiser on Eunice's behalf. We've been friends for more than 10 years, and they've put their trust in me. ALL donations that I receive are sent to Eunice through wire transfer as soon as I'm able to. Here's a link to Eunice's GFM profile, for some reason I'm unable to add as a co-organiser: https://gofund.me/833db67f

UPDATE MAY 28, 2025: According to Princess’ doctor, if everything goes well she should be able to leave the hospital this Thursday!! We have made arrangements to keep her healthy in a safe environment during her recuperation period and will be buying the doctor-prescribed medications to promote her healing, and medical equipment to help make her life easier and more comfortable.

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My sister, Princess, is in need of help for heart failure treatment.

Hi! My name is Eunice Dusaban and my sister is the princess of the family. I have been her caretaker my whole life as her condition causes her to need help with basic tasks like having to go potty, take a bath, and change clothes. We live in the Philippines and although no doctor has officially been able to diagnose her, we highly suspect she has Down Syndrome because of her nonverbal communication, delayed development, and facial features.

Because of her Down Syndrome, she has needed to be assisted with daily tasks such as eating and brushing her teeth throughout her whole life. She has congestive heart failure, causing fluid retention in her arms and legs. Her heart is too weak to properly circulate fluids, especially water, causing swelling in her body. The swelling in her arms and legs makes it difficult for her to walk, breathe, and do simple tasks. She's my only sister and I grew up alongside her, witnessing how hard her life is and accompanying her through her struggle and her pain. She's my whole world and I have made every effort to make her life as comfortable as possible.

Two years ago she had a stroke and had to be hospitalised. It was then that the doctor told us that she had a weak heart(congestive heart failure) and cardiac edema, which needed to be medicated daily. Fortunately, she was able to recover last time, but on Tuesday 20 May 2025, my mom called me to come immediately because my sister's arms and legs were swelling very badly and she was struggling just to move and breathe. I rushed her to the hospital and the hospital has since then been making tests and doing operations on her to figure out how to prevent her heart edema and water retention from worsening. As of right now there is an IV drip inserted near her heart, called the PICC line, to help get the medications directly to her heart and increase blood flow in her body. They've also attached a nasal cannula to her nose to help her get more oxygen because her lips had gone blue from lack of oxygen.They’ve been draining her arms and legs of the excess fluids, but we currently don’t know what the plan for her heart is yet. She almost slipped away at one point, but thankfully the timely addition of the medications kept us from losing her. The doctors are still doing tests/check ups on her, and we hope she’ll make a full recovery after a few more days in the hospital.

Our family and relatives have come together at this difficult time to support each other physically and financially. My wonderful cousins have sacrificed their week and comfort to take care of my sister 24/7 in the hospital and one of my aunties has generously donated $1,000 to our cause. Despite everyone’s efforts and shared resources, our family is still quite poor and we are having a difficult time raising the money on our own.

Princess is being treated in Cebu Doctor's Hospital, which has a strict payment policy that requires us to pay upfront for every $1,000 we accumulate for her stay or else they stop providing medications, treatment, and IV insertions for her. So far the hospital has charged us $5,000 and climbing for her tests, medications, and operations, and they have been unwilling to grant us a grace period or leniency for each $1,000 payment mark. This has been a really stressful matter for us who only wish for Princess' treatment to continue so that she can make a full recovery without any obstructions/delays. I have managed to pay Princess' bill by maxing out my two credit cards and pulling from my savings, but I am running out of options and need help reaching the finish line.

Despite all our struggles, we have faith that Princess can make full recovery with enough time, care, and treatment. Two years ago, her echocardiogram (an ultrasound test that checks the structure and function of the heart) results were only at 25%, but her current results after medication have improved to 43%! But in order for her to make full recovery, we need help paying for Princess' hospital stay. Any donation, no matter the amount, will help cover the costs for Princess' medications and operations to get her heart to a better, more functional state, prevent Princess from slipping into a coma, and take us one step closer to bringing my beloved sister back home.