Hi everyone,

Although we would’ve never guessed God’s plans for us, it has come to a point where we as a family are humbly reaching out as we could use some support from our fellow brothers and sisters. This journey has been such a scary and unpredictable one full of moments of doubt and glimpses of hope. If you could read through and share our story, we would greatly appreciate it.

We’ve known our dad, Rico, to be a strong and bada*s person with a fighting spirit. Our journey began on March 20, 2025, when what we thought was a case of bronchitis turned out to be fluid in Dad’s lungs and around his heart. Our mom was directed to drive him straight to the ER and thus began Dad’s hospitalization. During this stay, we find out that Dad needs to have bypass surgery as he has major blockages in his arterial veins. The plan became to fly to the Philippines for treatment. Although it is important to get his heart the procedure he needs, other issues needed to be addressed prior to travel to ensure Dad would be okay on the flight. He was discharged so that he could stay at home and let the medicine do it’s thing for a few weeks before following-up with Doc and getting the green light to travel.

Fast-forward to May 14, 2025, we were uneasy about Dad’s blood pressure levels and decided to bring him back to the hospital. News came and went that his heart was doing better, but that his kidney and liver were declining. Then, they said his heart grew worse. The Philippines was ruled out as an option for his procedure. The only option became Keck Hospital in LA. However, with the uncertainty of his condition, travel was no longer an option at one point. There were moments that we thought would be his last and doctors were preparing us for that possibility. Then there were moments of hope where the doctors had other options they wanted to pursue and travel became an option once more. We never truly know God’s plans or His timing, but we are thankful that our family is complete and together by Dad’s side. We believe in our Dad’s fighting spirit and want to do everything in our power to get him the medical care he needs.

Currently, Dad finished his first dialysis treatment. The goal as of right now is to get his body to a steady point, so that he can withstand the travel to Los Angeles where he will be undergoing an angioplasty that cannot be performed here nor in the Philippines.

Every day is a challenge and we are taking it one day at a time. With the severity of the situation, we have created this GoFundMe page to assist our family in the accruing medical expenses. Please do not feel obligated to donate. We are simply and humbly asking for your support at this time and if you are able to donate, any amount helps. If not, just reading and sharing our story as well as sending positive thoughts and prayers our way are greatly appreciated.

Thank you for all the love and support,

The R. Blancaflors ❤️‍