Hi, our names are Tita Madriaga(wife), Vanessa Madriaga(eldest daughter) and Sabrina Madriaga(second daughter). We are Filipinos by origin. I am currently living in the Philippines with my husband, Eduardo Madriaga(patient) while both of our daughters are overseas workers serving the NHS.

This year has been very tough on our family; physically, mentally and emotionally. Early this year my husband has been diagnosed with Stage 5 Chronic Kidney Disease. He started undergoing dialysis session late March for 3 times a week because his kidneys can no longer excrete toxins in his body properly. However, just when we are trying to recuperate from all of the expenses and trying to settle into a routine of going to the hospital for the dialysis sessions. We are hit with a medical complication from the Intrajugular(IJ) catheter that was used for his initial dialysis session while waiting for his fistula to be ready for use.

From late March until May 2025 he was having episodes of high temperature every now and then. His Nephrologist would put him in antibiotic therapy but after a few days of completing the antibiotics he would again have high temperatures. He was later on diagnosed with Methicillin-Resistance Staphylococcus Aureus or MRSA infection (a known nasty organism in healthcare) after a laboratory test was done to check for any organisms in his IJ catheter when it was taken out.

MRSA- is a type of bacteria that usually lives harmlessly on the skin but have been resistant to many types of antibiotics. If it gets inside the body, it can cause a serious infection that needs immediate treatment with antibiotics that are use for serious types of bacterial infections.

Source: MRSA - NHS,MRSA infection - Symptoms & causes - Mayo Clinic

He was since then been treated with Vancomycin but still his condition kept getting worse until last 17th of May 2025, that I have to rush him to the hospital when his oxygen saturation dropped down to 74% (95-100% is the normal range).

Vancomycin belongs to a class of antibiotics known as glycopeptides which are considered the last resort treatment for life-threatening infections of certain gram-positive bacteria.

Source:Vancomycin: Antibiotic Uses, Warnings, Side Effects, Dosage

From that day onwards, we have been in the hospital and after having a 2D echo done to check his heart, they found out that he now has Heart Failure ranging from Moderate to Severe Mitral Valve Regurgitation. Moreover, it was found out that there is now a MRSA growth or vegetation in both of his Mitral valves which was causing the symptoms of difficulty breathing and lack of oxygenation in the blood. The Cardiologist said he only has 45% of ejection fraction (cardiac output) instead of 50-70% which is the normal percentage. The MRSA vegetation was big and very visible in the scan that according to his Cardiologist and based on its size that it is classified for surgical intervention. This means that we would have to transfer back then to a more specialised hospital and he would have to undergo a Mitral Valve Replacement surgery as the vegetation, if left in place, can be dislodged and travel as an emboli and that would mean a possibility for a stroke or heart attack happening anytime.

With all the the events unfolding - him having difficulty of breathing, his lungs filling up with fluid as a consequence of his heart failure and undergoing dialysis almost everyday for a week to stabilise his condition- us as a couple, could not any more handle the medical expenses. He has been transferred to a specialised public hospital since from his initial admission in a smaller hospital and is now being treated accordingly however, healthcare in the our country (Philippines) is never free. He is still admitted in the hospital up until now and the fees are piling up.

My children have been very generous enough to shell out money and have exhausted all their life savings but we still need a huge amount if we even want my husband to be scheduled for surgery. Between me and my husband we only rely on our monthly pension of Php 17,000 (£227), all savings, which is not much, have been exhausted as well and he has a lot of maintenance medication and other outgoing expenses like travel expenses going to and from the hospital for his dialysis session.

According to the hospital policy, my husband cannot be scheduled for an operation if we do not pay in full for the surgery and our outstanding hospital bill.

The surgery itself is quoted at Php 691,000 (more or less £9,000-10,000) and at the time of writing, our hospital bill is already amounting to Php 450,000 (£6,000). I have uploaded the hospital bill as of 9th of June and the quotation for surgery from the hospital. We are still expecting the hospital bill to go up to Php 1 million (£13,000) after surgery, especially if complications happens and with the high cost of Intensive Care Unit(ICU) in the Philippines.

We have been seeking financial help from politicians, political groups and benevolent individuals here in our country and are getting some help from them but are still not enough to even get scheduled for the operation.

Me, my husband and my two daughters, as a family, are asking for any loose change and your generosity and kindness for any help that we can get. A penny or two will go a long way in our situation. Thank you and hope I have not taken too much of your time with our long narrative. I just want to give you the best and honest image of our situation and I hope all of you are all doing well and if not, that you are getting the support you need during those trying times.

All funds will go directly to fund the surgical expense and hospital bills of our dad.