Rebuilding Hope for our dear Den-Den.

[Pls see English translation below.]

Lieve vrienden, familie en mede-compassievolle zielen,

Stel je voor: het leven zoals je het kent wordt plotseling op zijn kop gezet door een onverwachte gebeurtenis. Voor onze geliefde Denise is dit helaas de harde realiteit geworden. Op haar 43e levensjaar werd ze getroffen door een verwoestende hersenbloeding, die haar niet alleen fysiek heeft uitgedaagd, maar ook financieel heeft ontwricht.

Denise, een toegewijde oppas en een ongelooflijk liefhebbende ziel, bevindt zich nu in een situatie waarin ze dringend onze steun nodig heeft. De weg naar herstel na een hersenbloeding is lang en veeleisend. Denise staat voor jaren van intensieve revalidatie, waarin ze niet in staat zal zijn om haar werk als oppas uit te voeren, haar belangrijkste bron van inkomen.

Het idee dat Denise, een vrouw vol leven en liefde, nu geconfronteerd wordt met zulke uitdagingen, raakt ons tot in het diepst van ons hart. Maar laten we niet vergeten dat we samen een verschil kunnen maken. Onze steun kan een lichtpuntje zijn in deze donkere tijd, een baken van hoop te midden van de storm.

Daarom roepen we jullie allemaal op om deel te nemen aan onze GoFundMe-campagne om Denise te helpen. Met jouw vrijgevigheid kunnen we ervoor zorgen dat Denise zich kan richten op haar herstel zonder zich zorgen te hoeven maken over financiële lasten. Jouw bijdrage zal niet alleen haar revalidatie ondersteunen, maar ook haar hoop en veerkracht versterken terwijl ze deze moeilijke periode doormaakt.

Laten we samen laten zien wat de kracht van gemeenschap en mededogen kan bereiken. Geen enkele bijdrage is te klein, want elk gebaar van steun brengt ons dichter bij ons doel om Denise te helpen herstellen en weer een vervuld leven te leiden.

Dank je wel voor het delen van jouw liefde en vrijgevigheid. Laten we samen het verschil maken voor Denise.

Met dankbaarheid en hoop,

This is our sweet friend Denia Dequito, we call her “Den-den.” She is 43 years old, a member of our church community in Amsterdam. We love her so dearly like our own sister. She is vibrant, oozing with joy and positivity and loves dancing and travelling. She loves to create reels of her holidays and gatherings with friends.

She is very generous in giving support and care for a friend in need. She had a friend (man/he) who had a stroke 2 years ago and was confined in Revalidation center. This friend of Den thanked her because he did not have any family in Amsterdam, and Den would visit him on weekends, giving hope and assuring he is not alone.

Another friend (woman/she) recalled that when she was just a newcomer in Amsterdam, Denden helped her generously with ideas where to go for medical check up, recommending Dentist, and offering always a handy solution when she has trouble settling in as a newcomer.

In our community, Den-den is an inspiration, a woman of great faith. She is our active leader of Liturgical Ministry, a member of Dancing Ministry, an all-rounder. She extends help to any members of our community in need, whether helping organize a birthday party or helping a community member who is moving to a new address in lifting boxes to move or clean house, all done voluntarily.

She spreads joy to our community with her brilliant ideas, whether it is an idea of a funny act or presentation during Christmas celebrations, or just being in present in our Sunday gathering with her energetic laughter and warm smile that brings sunshine in the room.

She spread so much love to us that it hurts seeing her vibrant life and personality abruptly changed.

On the evening of Saturday, 20 January 2024, her best friend Liza came to our house to asked if Den-den happens to come by. Liza is Den-den’s best friend, and the two of them lived together in an apartment next to our residence. They have been living together for almost 13 years, hence, Liza is able to immediately notice if something is not normal. Liza was so sure something happened to Den-den because she did not showed up to her appointment with friends in the afternoon, she was not answering calls and also not sending messages of her whereabouts which is not likely her character.

Liza concluded she is missing and have reach out to the community, their friends if anybody has been contacted by Den-den..was confirmed soon nobody has heard from her. With community and friends working together to find missing Den-den, she was finally located in AMC, a hospital in Amsterdam, in ICU. She had lost consciousness outside the streets, and somebody helped call an ambulance.

There she was, in Intensive Care unit, laying unconscious because she had bleeding in the brain. It was heartbreaking to see Den-den, a friend full of life and energy, suddenly connected to many hospital machines to help her live. She had a large, deep bleeding in the brain.

Since then, friends and communities offered prayers, wishes for her to survived, to be restored to normal body function. Everyday, group of friends just showed in the hospital to see her, to talk to her, even if she seemed not hearing. Same friends tirelessly keep visiting to say a prayer, to whisper encouragement and hope to her.

Two months now from that devastating day, and Den-den is able to say “Oo,” (Filipino word for yes) and nod her head. She is able to laugh by moving muscles of her face..no sound yet, and able to murmur words. She is a fighter, a strong woman.

Due to the bleeding of the brain, she is still confined to bed, and not able to move her body on her own. She is able to breath without any machine attached to help her. She is not able to move her right hands and foot yet. She is not able to chew yet, or drink water by mouth so she is receiving water and liquid food by tube, a nasogastric feeding. She needed somebody to lift her up and put her on the wheelchair

to be seated.

Currently, she is also undergoing a lot of therapies, physical and speech therapy among others to achieve the goal of recovery to normal body function, to normal life. The journey will take time and she will need our support because she would not be able to work to support herself for the coming 2 years.

And so with hopeful heart, we appeal to your generosity. We ask for financial support for our dear friend, our sister, Den-den.

Your financial support will sustain her basic needs and supports her recovery until she has fully regain her normal body functions, until she can chew and swallow her food, she can drink water by mouth again, until she can rise up and walk, until she can talk. And until she is able to work again to support herself.

We are thinking of buying her a mobile wheelchair for example to enable her to still visit her church community, and visit her friends. Den-den and Liza have many friends, and there are sufficient volunteer from the community who will be able to bring Den-den outside of the house so she can enjoy nature, and smell fresh air, be with people.

This way, she will not be isolated and bed-confined.

She remained optimistic and ready to fight this sickness like a champion. Your generosity can significantly impact the life of our dearest Den-Den. Thank you for your compassion and willingness to make a difference.

We thank you in advance for your generosity and kindness.