The lovely Philips family!

In June 2013 Alex was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumour. He had been taking care of the children, Sammy and Esther, one Saturday morning, while his wife Elaine taught music lessons. They were in the underground parking lot of a shopping mall when he suffered a massive seizure and collapsed to the ground. Thankfully, someone saw what happened and called for the police, so the children were taken care of and not left alone. Alex was rushed to the hospital and following a CT scan and MRI, it was determined that there was a sizeable tumour in the right side of his brain. Over the next number of years, Alex has undergone two brain surgeries, three rounds of chemotherapy and two full lifetime doses of radiation. Following last year's second round of radiation, the left side his body started to show noticeable signs of weakness. He has been struggling now for close to a year with walking and is finding daily tasks to be challenging. Doctors have tried him on an experimental therapy for a number of months, but feel that this treatment is now wearing off. They have said that there is no further medical option to pursue and have moved him to in-home palliative care.

By God's grace, Alex has remained alert and been able to continue teaching for much of the past five years, which is one of his great joys in life. Recently, he has had to stop teaching, which has been hard, but he continues to encourage students and alumni online and to welcome students and parents into his home. Alex continues to pray for a miracle of healing. In the meantime, we take each day as it comes and seek to make the most of the precious time we have been given. We are so grateful for the amazing support of friends, families and so many others as we walk this difficult road of suffering.

With this campaign we wish to relieve some of the stress that financial concerns can bring and to help the Philips family make the most of their precious time together.