Hospital fund for Vietnam veteran
Donation protected
Our Ask: My father, Col. Patricio Soliman Jr. (ret), has been confined in Makati Medical Center in the Philippines for almost 2 months now for various conditions including congestive heart failure, renal failure, severe pleural effusion, low oxygen, and blood transfusion. I’ve taken out the maximum loan I’m eligible to take plus a couple of personal loans from kind friends to pay over $23K in hospital bills to-date. This amount is in addition to $6K+ that my youngest sister also paid. I'm seeking any support to contribute to his continuing hospital expenses including what we hope will be his last procedure needed: a MitraClip. My father has a bicuspid valve leak that’s causing lung fluid build-up and 2 arteries that are close to 80% blocked. The doctors are hopeful the mitral clip will contain the leakage, prevent further damage, and extend his life.
About Dad: While with the Philippine military, my father volunteered to accompany the U.S. Army to Vietnam in 1968 and proudly served as a physician in the U.S. base where he treated American soldiers, civilians and unbeknownst to him at first, enemy soldiers. His service earned him a letter of commendation from Deputy for CORDS, John Vanh, and specialized training at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center after the war. My father served as Chief Medical Officer in the Philippine military for 20 yrs before immigrating to the U.S. where he practiced medicine for an additional 23 yrs. He was a Kentucky Army Reserve and an active Shriner for decades. Among citations received in his lifetime, he is most proud to have earned the Distinguished Service Award from the American College of International Physicians in 1997. One would understandably assume that having practiced as a physician, my father would’ve accumulated a significant retirement egg. However, his own patients would testify that he charged low and many times no office co-pays especially during his practice serving the coal miners in Cumberland, KY, and in the small, economically disadvantaged town of Owenton, KY. Additionally, there were many unpaid claims filed with Medicare and insurance companies due to inefficiencies in his medical office because of lack of affordable technology. On a more personal note, my parents have 6 children, 14 grandchildren, and 11 great-grandchildren who they happily supported financially whenever needed (somehow the needs never seemed to stop) until our mother’s passing in 2016. My father’s only monthly sources of income now are social security and $158 from the State of Kentucky for his service at the state penitentiary.
Our hope: My father was in high spirits a few hours after his angiogram on Monday, 11/23. He kept quoting Psalm 56:3, "When I'm afraid, I put my trust in You." He says he will work on getting his strength back so that he and my stepmom can come back to the U.S. by spring 2021. He wants to still play golf or at least go to the driving range. I pray that covid eases down by then and that international travel opens up and is safe. He'll get to be with his family here, Medicare will cover his dialysis treatments, and he will get good continued medical care for his heart. God's favor and hand have been and continue to be on my father. I know this is not the end of his story on earth, and that we will see each other again. Our God is good!
Note: If preferred, contributions can be made directly via the hospital's website. Please contact me for further info. In addition to financial help, your prayers are also much needed. Thank you!
About Dad: While with the Philippine military, my father volunteered to accompany the U.S. Army to Vietnam in 1968 and proudly served as a physician in the U.S. base where he treated American soldiers, civilians and unbeknownst to him at first, enemy soldiers. His service earned him a letter of commendation from Deputy for CORDS, John Vanh, and specialized training at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center after the war. My father served as Chief Medical Officer in the Philippine military for 20 yrs before immigrating to the U.S. where he practiced medicine for an additional 23 yrs. He was a Kentucky Army Reserve and an active Shriner for decades. Among citations received in his lifetime, he is most proud to have earned the Distinguished Service Award from the American College of International Physicians in 1997. One would understandably assume that having practiced as a physician, my father would’ve accumulated a significant retirement egg. However, his own patients would testify that he charged low and many times no office co-pays especially during his practice serving the coal miners in Cumberland, KY, and in the small, economically disadvantaged town of Owenton, KY. Additionally, there were many unpaid claims filed with Medicare and insurance companies due to inefficiencies in his medical office because of lack of affordable technology. On a more personal note, my parents have 6 children, 14 grandchildren, and 11 great-grandchildren who they happily supported financially whenever needed (somehow the needs never seemed to stop) until our mother’s passing in 2016. My father’s only monthly sources of income now are social security and $158 from the State of Kentucky for his service at the state penitentiary.
Our hope: My father was in high spirits a few hours after his angiogram on Monday, 11/23. He kept quoting Psalm 56:3, "When I'm afraid, I put my trust in You." He says he will work on getting his strength back so that he and my stepmom can come back to the U.S. by spring 2021. He wants to still play golf or at least go to the driving range. I pray that covid eases down by then and that international travel opens up and is safe. He'll get to be with his family here, Medicare will cover his dialysis treatments, and he will get good continued medical care for his heart. God's favor and hand have been and continue to be on my father. I know this is not the end of his story on earth, and that we will see each other again. Our God is good!
Note: If preferred, contributions can be made directly via the hospital's website. Please contact me for further info. In addition to financial help, your prayers are also much needed. Thank you!
Organizer
Lot Soliman Bercasio
Organizer
Atlanta, GA