HELP with Medical Expenses for Andee Belarmino
Hi everyone,
Thank you for checking out our GoFundMe Page for my mom, Alejandra Belarmino, or "Andee" as most people know her. My name is Narissa Smith and I am the youngest of mom's 4 children. I am here on behalf of our whole family to ask for your help, as well as your prayers.
On March 17th my mom traveled home to the Philippines to be with her mother - my almost 99-year old grandmother. My grandmother had just been in and out of the hospital twice over the previous few weeks and we were unsure as to how much longer she would be with us. Despite the worldwide pandemic, and after very much thought, my mom made the decision to go home to the Philippines. She knew all the risks, but at the end of the day, what wouldn't any of us do for our moms, right? And if any of you KNOW my mom, you know that once she makes up her mind about something, there is no changing her mind!
The trip was going well and she was able to be by my grandmother's side, however, sometime early last week, my mom began to feel ill. At the time, and over those next few days, my mom shrugged off her symptoms, telling us all that she was fine. Fast forward to this past Saturday morning and it turns out she was not fine at all. My mom's O2 level had dropped to just over 70%, and at this point she was still refusing to go to the hospital. We called for a driver anyway and began the hunt for a hospital to take her. Keep in mind, all hospitals in the Philippines are FULL. They were turned away at the first hospital and then again at the second hospital, but as they say... the third time's a charm. By the grace of God, the third hospital agreed to take her into their ER.
And this is when I learned that in the Philippines, when you go to the hospital they require payment up front. It was 2500 pesos for the first 3 hours and then 800 pesos every hour after that, plus a "retainer" of sorts for future treatment. The patient is presented with their bill daily and payment is expected at that time. As I mentioned earlier, since the hospital is at full capacity and there are no available beds/rooms, my mom continues to receive her care in the ER. And in the ER, the rates are much higher than they would be if she was in a room. Believe me when I say that the ER care is better than no care at all, so we are very thankful regardless, but that is why we are needing to ask for help. Unfortunately, our mom has no private insurance and relies solely on her Medicare benefits, which are not accepted internationally.
My mom did test positive for Covid, which we had already suspected, and currently she has Covid Pneumonia and Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome. She took a slight turn for the worse yesterday due to the inflammation in her lungs, and is currently in the process of receiving 4 rounds of hemoperfusion, which will work to reduce the inflammation and improve her breathing. She responded well to the first round and will receive the next rounds every 24 hours. She is far from being "out of the woods", but for now remains stable. Sadly, with Covid there are no "rules", and her condition can change at any moment.
It is never easy to ask for help, but over the years - my whole life really, I saw first hand how many people and families my mom and pop both helped. Whether these people lived with us, or needed a job, or maybe financial help, or handling their affairs in the Philippines, my mom and pop were always there to help however they could. So here we are, asking now for help in paying for the growing expenses of our mom's medical care.
First and foremost, please keep my mom in constant prayer over the next several days and possibly weeks. Please also pray for the medical team that is caring for her. Lastly, please pray for our family as we navigate all of the logistics of my mother's care all the way on the other side of the world (a 12-15 hour time difference, language barriers, lockdown restrictions, etc.)! If you feel led to donate, please do so - any amount will help! 100% of all funds raised will be used to pay for my mom's medical expenses in the Philippines, as well as any other expense that she may incur upon her return to the US - including getting her home! If you would like to reach out to me for other ways you can help, or if you have any other questions, please Email me at: flsmithfam5 at gmail dot com or send me a text at: 941-five two six eight zero two four.
From myself, my brother (Renilo/Ron) and my sister, (Leilani), as well as my mom's siblings and family, THANK YOU for praying for our mom and for any financial help you are able to provide. We will continue to trust God through this journey and glorify His name in all outcomes.