Help Mama Fight Covid

Cecilia S. Angeles (Mama), is 88 yrs old. She has been teaching since the late 60s and taught English at a university in Manila, Philippines.  She also took up painting and taught arts after graduating in the mid 80s. She was an avid photo hobbyist and formed a camera club with her peers after their photo workshop completion. She then encouraged me to join the camera club. After her forced retirement in teaching at the 2 universities at age 65, her passion for teaching continued when she was offered to teach basic photography workshop at a photographer's foundation until the pandemic hit last year.

She had to comply to the mandatory strict lock down in Manila especially for seniors like her. The lock down in Manila has been going on for more than a year. They can't go out without a permit and she would need someone to accompany her wherever she goes.

Sometime in March, she got her first dose of Astrazeneca vaccine & her 2nd one around May. Even at 88, she tries to keep herself busy (by painting) just to get over her boredom. I video call them every now and then to check how they are. She didn't feel well when I called her on Mother's Day but a few days later, she was fine.

Sometime in June, my sister noticed that she takes longer naps quite often, no energy and later noticed that she has difficulty breathing. They did a chest x-ray & blood work last June 24, 2021 & found out that she had a bacterial infection/pneumonia. She was tested for Covid but it was negative. She was given a week's dose of antibiotics. She felt fine later on but went back to feeling weak, having no energy and difficulty breathing. My brother got her an oxygen tank and a regulator & she was fine using it for 10-15 mins and sometimes she didn't even use it for 2-3 days. But then she would go back to having shortness of breath, brain fog and weakness.

Before she could be admitted at a hospital in Manila, they need to get a Covid test. She was positive. At this time her blood pressure was getting low and her oxygen saturation as well. She was at the ER for 2 days since there is a waiting list for the ICU. They intubated her since she can't be hooked in the machine called High Flow O2 for very long. Finally last Sunday, she went to the ICU. She got her 1st of 3 "hemoperfusions" which filters her blood of toxins from meds and carbon gas from her O2 tank.

We hope and pray that she will fight hard and recover from Covid so that her next step is to get a heart valve replacement. One of her four valves is calcified or blocked and the blood and oxygen can't flow well to her heart and brain. She is fighting for her life. We just want her to get better. Thank you for reading her story and for all your help. Any amount is appreciated. May God Bless You.

(I did this video below for her 85th birthday as a surprise 3 yrs ago)