PLEASE HELP! Two tragedies! My family is in need.

To my dear family, friends and all others with an open heart,

 

There has been two tragic events to my close family in the Philippines that has me reaching out to all my family, friends and anyone else you know with an open heart for help and support! Please keep reading their story, please help!

 

I would like to introduce to you my cousin Cristan and his family, wife Jed, and two sons Jaycee (black shirt) and Calix (blue shirt):

Early in Jaycee's life he was diagnosed with Leukemia, the cancer of the blood and bone marrow. Despite his sickness, the pain it caused him and the affects it had on his energy levels, he was mostly a happy and optimistic boy. He loved anime and drawing, and outings with his family and friends.

 

The health care system in the Philippines is almost completely non-existent, and Jaycee's fight for life against his sickness has cost this family and their extended family a small fortune to give Jaycee a fighting chance. But still this family remained strong and optimistic! They sacrificed so much in the fight against this disease that they needed to live with Jed's parents and rely on their families' support in order to have enough income for only just a subsistence levels.

 

Unfortunately, Jaycee lost his battle against Leukemia so young on the 13th September 2019. May this bright and ever thankful for life boy rest in peace.

 

Now, exactly two years later to the day of Jaycee's death, my cousin's wife Jed has suddenly and tragically died from Covid-19! May she rest in peace and be reunited with her son Jaycee.

 

This family, still struggling and recovering from their loss of Jaycee, has now suffered this terrible loss of Jed, their mother and wife. I truly cannot begin to understand the pain my cousin and his son Calix are feeling right now.

 

This is my cousin's and his families' tragic story. I know you can empathise with their story and I hope you can help! The next section will explain why and how you can help, please keep reading.

 

Those of you that have visited a developing country have some understanding on how different the lives of the people living there can be compared to the developed world. You must understand that there are no governmental social, health and family welfare systems that you can rely on during your times of need. There are also no basic, trusted and developed insurance products similar to what we, in the developed world, have come to rely on during our times of need. In the Philippines, you MUST rely on the kindness of your friends, family and their extended networks to get you through your tough times, this is your insurance!

 

It is not surprising that the Filipino people are rich in family values and kindness. So happy they are to have their family and friends close, they often give their visitors the last of their food in their cupboard rather than on their own plates. I can say that this is true for my family in the Philippines.

 

Through my Nephew's fight against Leukemia, there has been many instances of selfless giving, to my Cousin and his family, from their family and friends. The treatment costs for Jaycee weren't cheap, and the family had been forced into the situation that they must live together in Jed's families' small home in order to afford the costs of treatment. Despite all this sacrifice and the giving received, the hospital bills, and loans to pay for them, built up to the cost of PHP 600.000 (~$14,000 AUD or 76,000 DKK) at the time of Jaycee's passing.

 

As the family grieve the loss of their beloved son Jaycee, they stayed optimistic and hopeful as they heal from this loss. They knew they both had stable jobs and cashflow that would get them through financially at the very least and eventually everything would be okay. Now with Jed's tragic passing from Covid-19, the future is completely uncertain for this family in need. They have lost more than half of the income they relied on to put food on their table and pull them out of debt from their son's fight for life.

 

We now ask you, our family, friends and extended network for HELP! Even the smallest of donations can mean a lot in the Philippines, there is no donation too big or too small. I have an ambitious goal to raise $20,000 AUD, to cover the costs of Jaycee's past treatments and to provide an additional support and safety net of financial support for my cousin and his family as the navigate through this tough time in their lives.

 

To those that have read this far, I thank you and hope you can spare a donation to my family. For those of you that can't donate, I ask you to please share this story.