Donation protected
Our story
Our mom, Tina Bonifacio has lived her life in service to God, her family and community. She is an HR executive who has helped organizations run more effectively, a servant-leader who has worked tirelessly for various advocacies (Bukas Palad, Sinag, Sulyap, etc), a mentor who has developed dozens of young professionals towards flourishing careers, and most importantly, a loyal friend, a loving wife and the best mother my sister and I could ever ask for.
All these years, she has given selflessly to others, but now the tables have turned. Mom is the one that needs help. At age 64, when many women start to settle down and take it easy, Mom has entered the battle for her life. She was diagnosed with colon cancer, the fourth leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the Philippines. After the initial surgery to remove her tumor, doctors determined her case to be "locally advanced," which will necessitate a difficult chemotherapy regimen over the next 6 months.
To complicate matters further, our Dad, who himself has been suffering from congestive heart disease, has seen his condition deteriorate significantly since Mom's diagnosis, thus also prompting urgent medical care. As far as finances are concerned, mom's steady income has mostly supported the household overhead, after our farming business suffered losses from this year's super typhoons (ex. Ompong/Mankhut which hit Isabela badly in 2018). But soon, even mom will have to stop working, to focus on her treatment.
This is where Mom needs our help. I want her to be able to get the best, most promising treatments possible. And I want her to be able to rest easy at night, knowing that treating her cancer will not leave her and Dad burdened with debt. I for one, am personally committed to doing all that I can to support my parents financially, but even my salary will not be enough to cover all of Mom's chemo treatments, Dad's impending angioplasty or bypass, while also supplementing Mom's lost income for the household.
That’s what this GoFundMe campaign is all about.
I humbly ask you to join me in helping this phenomenal woman who I am so proud to call my Mom. She would never agree to ask for money from other people, but I know there are many among you who love Mom dearly and would welcome the opportunity to help, so I've taken it upon myself to start this campaign on my own. Whatever you feel comfortable giving will make a difference, and will be gratefully appreciated. But more than that, Mom needs all your prayers, your friendship and love through this difficult period of her life. Thank you for your generosity.
How this GoFundMe campaign works
This site offers a 100% safe platform for friends and family to make secure and private donations to my Mom's cause. You can make customized donations (any amount) via a debit or credit card. As a donor, you will be asked to provide your name and e-mail address, but also have the option to remain anonymous. By default, all donations are posted on the public bulletin board of this campaign, but you have the option to keep your donation private, so that only I, the campaign administrator, will see your gift. And as the administrator, it's my personal policy to keep the identities of donors (and the details of their donations) private, so that not even my mom will know - unless you explicitly disclose this information.
What the funds will be used for
Based on initial discussions with our oncologist, Mom will need 12 cycles of chemotherapy (FOLFOX, administered every two weeks for six months). Each cycle costs ~P100,000 for the drugs alone, which adds up to P1.2M total. In addition, there will be hospitalization fees (3 days confinement for each cycle, or 36 hospital days total), doctor's fees, various weekly scans and tests, as well as miscellaneous drugs needed to manage her recovery, which we believe will sum up to another P300,000. Overall, we estimate the total cost of treatment to be around P1.5M (thus the campaign goal of $30,000).
While this is indeed an ambitious goal, even just partial attainment will go a long way in alleviating my family's situation. As administrator, my commitment is to provide full transparency as to how every centavo of your donations will be spent, and I plan to present a detailed accounting of collections and expenses, sometime in June 2019. In the event that collections exceed expenses, my plan is donate the surplus to the Focolare Movement, whom Mom credits for developing her spirituality.
Other ways to help
While financial assistance would be greatly appreciated, there are other means of support that would be just as valuable to my family. My Mom's road to recovery will be long, and difficult. There will be good days, but also bad days ahead: enduring the unpleasant or painful effects of chemo, bouts of despair and loneliness. And during these times, more than medicine or other forms of treatment, she will need the love and companionship of those closest to her.
Therefore, during the short windows between cycles where visitation is allowed, my family would greatly appreciate the visits from family and friends who would be willing to take the time to see her. Spending even just a few short moments with my Mom would go a long way in uplifting her spirits and giving her the courage to keep fighting. If that's not possible, even just your prayers and thoughtful messages would be wonderful. Lastly, I'd like to ask that you share this campaign with others whom you think would want to help Mom.
Contact
If you have any questions about Mom's condition, this GoFundMe campaign, or any related topic, please don't hesitate to reach out to me (Paolo) directly. Best way would be through iMessage, Viber or Whatsapp: [phone redacted]. On behalf of Mom and my whole family. Thank you for your love and support.
Our mom, Tina Bonifacio has lived her life in service to God, her family and community. She is an HR executive who has helped organizations run more effectively, a servant-leader who has worked tirelessly for various advocacies (Bukas Palad, Sinag, Sulyap, etc), a mentor who has developed dozens of young professionals towards flourishing careers, and most importantly, a loyal friend, a loving wife and the best mother my sister and I could ever ask for.
All these years, she has given selflessly to others, but now the tables have turned. Mom is the one that needs help. At age 64, when many women start to settle down and take it easy, Mom has entered the battle for her life. She was diagnosed with colon cancer, the fourth leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the Philippines. After the initial surgery to remove her tumor, doctors determined her case to be "locally advanced," which will necessitate a difficult chemotherapy regimen over the next 6 months.
To complicate matters further, our Dad, who himself has been suffering from congestive heart disease, has seen his condition deteriorate significantly since Mom's diagnosis, thus also prompting urgent medical care. As far as finances are concerned, mom's steady income has mostly supported the household overhead, after our farming business suffered losses from this year's super typhoons (ex. Ompong/Mankhut which hit Isabela badly in 2018). But soon, even mom will have to stop working, to focus on her treatment.
This is where Mom needs our help. I want her to be able to get the best, most promising treatments possible. And I want her to be able to rest easy at night, knowing that treating her cancer will not leave her and Dad burdened with debt. I for one, am personally committed to doing all that I can to support my parents financially, but even my salary will not be enough to cover all of Mom's chemo treatments, Dad's impending angioplasty or bypass, while also supplementing Mom's lost income for the household.
That’s what this GoFundMe campaign is all about.
I humbly ask you to join me in helping this phenomenal woman who I am so proud to call my Mom. She would never agree to ask for money from other people, but I know there are many among you who love Mom dearly and would welcome the opportunity to help, so I've taken it upon myself to start this campaign on my own. Whatever you feel comfortable giving will make a difference, and will be gratefully appreciated. But more than that, Mom needs all your prayers, your friendship and love through this difficult period of her life. Thank you for your generosity.
How this GoFundMe campaign works
This site offers a 100% safe platform for friends and family to make secure and private donations to my Mom's cause. You can make customized donations (any amount) via a debit or credit card. As a donor, you will be asked to provide your name and e-mail address, but also have the option to remain anonymous. By default, all donations are posted on the public bulletin board of this campaign, but you have the option to keep your donation private, so that only I, the campaign administrator, will see your gift. And as the administrator, it's my personal policy to keep the identities of donors (and the details of their donations) private, so that not even my mom will know - unless you explicitly disclose this information.
What the funds will be used for
Based on initial discussions with our oncologist, Mom will need 12 cycles of chemotherapy (FOLFOX, administered every two weeks for six months). Each cycle costs ~P100,000 for the drugs alone, which adds up to P1.2M total. In addition, there will be hospitalization fees (3 days confinement for each cycle, or 36 hospital days total), doctor's fees, various weekly scans and tests, as well as miscellaneous drugs needed to manage her recovery, which we believe will sum up to another P300,000. Overall, we estimate the total cost of treatment to be around P1.5M (thus the campaign goal of $30,000).
While this is indeed an ambitious goal, even just partial attainment will go a long way in alleviating my family's situation. As administrator, my commitment is to provide full transparency as to how every centavo of your donations will be spent, and I plan to present a detailed accounting of collections and expenses, sometime in June 2019. In the event that collections exceed expenses, my plan is donate the surplus to the Focolare Movement, whom Mom credits for developing her spirituality.
Other ways to help
While financial assistance would be greatly appreciated, there are other means of support that would be just as valuable to my family. My Mom's road to recovery will be long, and difficult. There will be good days, but also bad days ahead: enduring the unpleasant or painful effects of chemo, bouts of despair and loneliness. And during these times, more than medicine or other forms of treatment, she will need the love and companionship of those closest to her.
Therefore, during the short windows between cycles where visitation is allowed, my family would greatly appreciate the visits from family and friends who would be willing to take the time to see her. Spending even just a few short moments with my Mom would go a long way in uplifting her spirits and giving her the courage to keep fighting. If that's not possible, even just your prayers and thoughtful messages would be wonderful. Lastly, I'd like to ask that you share this campaign with others whom you think would want to help Mom.
Contact
If you have any questions about Mom's condition, this GoFundMe campaign, or any related topic, please don't hesitate to reach out to me (Paolo) directly. Best way would be through iMessage, Viber or Whatsapp: [phone redacted]. On behalf of Mom and my whole family. Thank you for your love and support.
Organizer
Paolo Bonifacio
Organizer