Please Help Mama Beat Colon Cancer
Donation protected
December 2017 was the hardest month of my life so far (Livs) with both parents needing medical attention – Mama (Yolly) was diagnosed with colon cancer 3rd week of November 2017 and Papa (Henry) needing an aortic valve replacement. Their procedures were both scheduled and a plan was in place until tragedy struck when Papa suffered a mild stroke on the 3rd of December and was immediately admitted to the acute stroke unit (ASU) in St. Lukes Medical Center BGC in Manila, Philippines.
(happier times)
On the 6th, he was moved to the 3rd floor Coronary Care Unit (CCU) due to a diagnosis of pneumonia. Mama was scheduled to have her surgery on the 11th of December and so we limited her hospital visits with Papa but it was hard to keep them apart from each other. On the 7th of December, Papa underwent an Angiogram to check his viability for a TRANSCATHETER AORTIC VALVE REPLACEMENT (TAVR), Mama was there with him before they wheeled him in to the Cath Lab and they prayed together. Papa’s angiogram went well and he passed with flying colors and his TAVR was scheduled for December 11 at 730 am – the same day and time as Mama’s cancer resection surgery. Talk about a couple who just has to do everything together…#relationshipgoals ?
(mama and papa praying before papa's angiogram)
All this time, my siblings and were subbing to watch over Papa in the hospital. On December 10, I admitted Mama into the hospital. She was placed on the 15th floor and she went to visit Papa on the 3rd floor before going up to her room…once again they prayed together and chatted a bit. The following day with both their big procedures scheduled, Mama was wheeled down to the 3rd floor where the Main Operating Room was, but before going in she stopped by my Papa’s CCU unit so that the two of them could pray together and comfort each other that everything will be okay.
(papa & mama praying together before their respective procedures)
Both procedures were reportedly difficult but both were successful. It was such a relief. Papa’s TAVR was a success and Mama’s surgeon was able to resect the whole tumor with clean margins. They were able to take out all the lymph nodes and fatty areas that may be affected. She was back in her room that night with directions of no food and water for the next four days.
On December 12, they inserted tubes (pigtails) in Papa’s lungs in order to be able to drain the fluids. Mama was doing great in her room. She was feeling some hyperacidity due to the fact that she can’t have any food but aside from that she was great. They redressed her wounds and she was just listening to her prayers and worship songs. I am so impressed how grounded my mother is, her unwavering faith in the Lord, and her whole outlook…she’s such a great patient. All the doctors were commending her.
(mama doing her spirometry exercises)
Both parents were doing so well! On the 14th of December, Mama’s NGtube was taken out and she was able to stand up! The doctor also approved the reintroduction of clear liquids. Papa was doing great too! He was able to sit in his lazy boy and his breathing was better. The doctors suspect the reoccurrence of pneumonia and started antibiotics again. He was complaining of weakness but the doctors said it will take some time to regain some strength.
On December 18, Mama’s NGtube had to be put back because her stomach became so distended and the air needed to be released in order to help her intestines relax. Mama’s diagnosis came out as STAGE 3A Colon cancer and the doctor said that she would need to strengthen up because she would definitely be needing chemotherapy BUT there is a high chance of curing her. Papa was doing good that he was actually trying to do business with me as his secretary!
December 20 was the amazing day when Papa was transferred out of the CCU into the 15th floor right across the hall from Mama.:) Mama was in 1530 and Papa in 1512. This made life so much easier for me. However, something wasn’t right with Mama, her JP drain was draining something cloudy and she was still quite distended. The following day (21st) they noticed that the JP drain was draining what looked like poop and so tests had to be done and on the morning of the 22nd they did a Fistulogram to check what was going on. That same afternoon Mama was wheeled in for an emergency surgery to correct what the surgeon described as a true anomaly. He mentioned that in the 30 years of practice, Mama was only the 2nd patient he’s ever known for this to happen.
(mama & papa seeing each other for the first time after their procedures)
Mama’s JP drain wrapped itself around the colon and found a spot of least resistance and inserted itself in it. That’s why it was draining poop. Aside from this, Mama’s intestine tried to correct this by curving itself into the small opening, which produced an obstruction and resulted to Mama being distended. The doctor opted to give Mama a colostomy bag for the meantime to give her colon time to heal properly. He explained that in 5 – 6 months, he will test how healed the colon is and if it is good Mama won’t need the colostomy bag any longer. All through this, Mama’s doctor has been so good at explaining everything to us, he even asked Mama if she still felt comfortable to continue having him as a doctor. Mama didn’t even bat an eyelash and said yes…she still has full trust in him. I do too.
I told Papa Mama was going down for a procedure and he shouldn’t worry. I didn’t tell him fully until I knew she was stable. I didn’t want to stress him. Mama waved to him as she was being wheeled down and they said their “I love you’s” and a tiny prayer. Mama’s surgery went very well. She wasn’t septic and there was no leakage into her abdomen. The doctor was able to correct everything.
(papa visiting mama after her emergency surgery)
December 23, I was planning for a Christmas eve dinner for all of us since Mama and Papa were in the same floor already and we wanted to do something nice for all the nurses and doctors who has been so good to us. I ordered food to feed both CCU, 15th floor staff, the elevator staff, and of course our family. I also had decorated Mama and Papa’s room to cheer them both up and send give out some holiday cheer.
Christmas eve, Papa was having a lot of difficulty breathing. We thought it was an anxiety attack which he’s been having atleast once a day since he’s been in the hospital. However, this one was different. His o2 stats were going down and they decided to put him on a BiPap machine to help him breathe. They also decided to bring him back down to CCU. I decided not to tell Mama until I knew Papa was stable. I didn’t want to stress her out.
Christmas eve wasn’t as I had planned it but we still had food out for everyone. I think it lifted Mama’s spirits to see everyone enjoying what we had prepared and everyone was wishing her a Merry Christmas. I had prepared tiny containers of Papa’s favorite food to bring down to him at the CCU. We were given a go for him to eat his Christmas eve dinner with strict aspiration protocol but we were unsuccessful since his o2 stats were going down every time we removed the BiPap. So we just did presents and he was so excited.:) He immediately asked to wear the sweater I got him and the jacket my half-sister got him. It was the best feeling to see him love his gifts. I gave Mama a cardigan that matched Papa’s sweater.
Christmas day. Papa’s o2 saturation wasn’t improving and the doctors want to intubate. Papa didn’t want to be sedated and intubated. He was afraid he would die if he is sedated. He made me promise to monitor him closely and that he would never be alone the whole time he was sedated. Papa’s heart rate went really low when they intubated they were able to bring it back with meds. However, the intubation balloon was faulty and they had to reintubate. Papa coded and was revived after 6 minutes of resuscitation and 2 epi shots and full blast of medication to help elevate his blood pressure. Called all my siblings to come back to Manila. I kept telling Mama that Papa was sleeping and resting. I waited for their doctor (they have a common attending physician) to break it to Mama. We were so careful with Mama and as soon as the doctor left she continued to pray again.
December 26, we’re all in Manila now. Papa is stable and his x-rays are all looking so much better. There is pneumonia and the doctors suspect Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) but all his stats were stable and doctors were giving him the strongest antibiotics to clear out the pneumonia. The plan was to wean him off the ventilator in 24-48 hours as soon as the lungs have had some time to rest and get stronger.
December 27. 5am. I get a call to go back to the hospital ASAP. It was the most horrible drive of my life. Papa’s o2 and blood pressure keeps dropping. Attending doctor called me to say it was time to say goodbye to Papa. I had the 15th floor nurse bring Mama down medicated and instructed the CCU doctors to have medication ready incase Mama needed it. We all said our goodbyes…kissed and hugged Papa. Papa passed away at 6:48:41 in the morning very peacefully with all 7 of his children surrounding him and with Mama holding his hand till the very end.
With Papa transferred to the chapel and Mama still in the hospital, we were very blessed to have family and friends to look after Mama while we attended to Papa’s wake and funeral. The three of us would take turns going to see Mama in the morning before proceeding to Papa’s wake.
On the morning of December 30 with much orchestration and the help of a lot of people we were able to bring Mama to Papa’s wake – to see him one last time. With a window of 3 hours, we left the hospital at 730 am and made it to the chapel by 8 am. We were met by her best friends and the spent a good hour praying and talking to my Papa. Mama had her private moment with Papa and she was able to send some flowers along with him. We were back at the hospital by 930am. It was heartbreaking seeing my Mom say goodbye to the love of her life.
We cremated Papa on the 31st following Chinese traditions with a Catholic service. He was placed in the family mausoleum alongside his parents per his wishes.
We welcomed the New Year in the hospital with Mama. It was a very different New Year for us but at least we were all together.
Mama was discharged from the hospital January 2nd after being in there for 24 days, but our journey isn’t over yet. Mama has doctors appointments all lined up (currently we are scheduled for the 11th, 15th, and 16th) and she will need to do chemotherapy in a couple of weeks when she is strong enough.
Losing Papa was the worst pain I’ve ever felt in my whole life. I can’t even begin to imagine how much pain my Mama is in after losing the love of her life, grieving and doing her best to recover and strengthen up in preparation for chemotherapy.
I’m starting this GoFundMe page to help raise funds to give my Mama the best fighting chance she can have to beat this cancer. All her doctors are positive that she has a high chance of beating this cancer given the correct treatment, nutritional and environmental support. Please help me get her better. I cannot lose another parent. I don’t want to lose my Mama to cancer. Please help me and my siblings give her the best fighting chance.
My siblings and I need your financial support and prayers as we embark on our journey to help Mama beat colon cancer. Please consider donating to my Mama’s medical fund. Thank you.
Instagram: mamapapashow
#mamapapashow #Yollysbeatcoloncancercampaign
#mamabeatingcancer
(happier times)On the 6th, he was moved to the 3rd floor Coronary Care Unit (CCU) due to a diagnosis of pneumonia. Mama was scheduled to have her surgery on the 11th of December and so we limited her hospital visits with Papa but it was hard to keep them apart from each other. On the 7th of December, Papa underwent an Angiogram to check his viability for a TRANSCATHETER AORTIC VALVE REPLACEMENT (TAVR), Mama was there with him before they wheeled him in to the Cath Lab and they prayed together. Papa’s angiogram went well and he passed with flying colors and his TAVR was scheduled for December 11 at 730 am – the same day and time as Mama’s cancer resection surgery. Talk about a couple who just has to do everything together…#relationshipgoals ?
(mama and papa praying before papa's angiogram)All this time, my siblings and were subbing to watch over Papa in the hospital. On December 10, I admitted Mama into the hospital. She was placed on the 15th floor and she went to visit Papa on the 3rd floor before going up to her room…once again they prayed together and chatted a bit. The following day with both their big procedures scheduled, Mama was wheeled down to the 3rd floor where the Main Operating Room was, but before going in she stopped by my Papa’s CCU unit so that the two of them could pray together and comfort each other that everything will be okay.
(papa & mama praying together before their respective procedures) Both procedures were reportedly difficult but both were successful. It was such a relief. Papa’s TAVR was a success and Mama’s surgeon was able to resect the whole tumor with clean margins. They were able to take out all the lymph nodes and fatty areas that may be affected. She was back in her room that night with directions of no food and water for the next four days.
On December 12, they inserted tubes (pigtails) in Papa’s lungs in order to be able to drain the fluids. Mama was doing great in her room. She was feeling some hyperacidity due to the fact that she can’t have any food but aside from that she was great. They redressed her wounds and she was just listening to her prayers and worship songs. I am so impressed how grounded my mother is, her unwavering faith in the Lord, and her whole outlook…she’s such a great patient. All the doctors were commending her.
(mama doing her spirometry exercises)Both parents were doing so well! On the 14th of December, Mama’s NGtube was taken out and she was able to stand up! The doctor also approved the reintroduction of clear liquids. Papa was doing great too! He was able to sit in his lazy boy and his breathing was better. The doctors suspect the reoccurrence of pneumonia and started antibiotics again. He was complaining of weakness but the doctors said it will take some time to regain some strength.
On December 18, Mama’s NGtube had to be put back because her stomach became so distended and the air needed to be released in order to help her intestines relax. Mama’s diagnosis came out as STAGE 3A Colon cancer and the doctor said that she would need to strengthen up because she would definitely be needing chemotherapy BUT there is a high chance of curing her. Papa was doing good that he was actually trying to do business with me as his secretary!
December 20 was the amazing day when Papa was transferred out of the CCU into the 15th floor right across the hall from Mama.:) Mama was in 1530 and Papa in 1512. This made life so much easier for me. However, something wasn’t right with Mama, her JP drain was draining something cloudy and she was still quite distended. The following day (21st) they noticed that the JP drain was draining what looked like poop and so tests had to be done and on the morning of the 22nd they did a Fistulogram to check what was going on. That same afternoon Mama was wheeled in for an emergency surgery to correct what the surgeon described as a true anomaly. He mentioned that in the 30 years of practice, Mama was only the 2nd patient he’s ever known for this to happen.
(mama & papa seeing each other for the first time after their procedures)Mama’s JP drain wrapped itself around the colon and found a spot of least resistance and inserted itself in it. That’s why it was draining poop. Aside from this, Mama’s intestine tried to correct this by curving itself into the small opening, which produced an obstruction and resulted to Mama being distended. The doctor opted to give Mama a colostomy bag for the meantime to give her colon time to heal properly. He explained that in 5 – 6 months, he will test how healed the colon is and if it is good Mama won’t need the colostomy bag any longer. All through this, Mama’s doctor has been so good at explaining everything to us, he even asked Mama if she still felt comfortable to continue having him as a doctor. Mama didn’t even bat an eyelash and said yes…she still has full trust in him. I do too.
I told Papa Mama was going down for a procedure and he shouldn’t worry. I didn’t tell him fully until I knew she was stable. I didn’t want to stress him. Mama waved to him as she was being wheeled down and they said their “I love you’s” and a tiny prayer. Mama’s surgery went very well. She wasn’t septic and there was no leakage into her abdomen. The doctor was able to correct everything.
(papa visiting mama after her emergency surgery)December 23, I was planning for a Christmas eve dinner for all of us since Mama and Papa were in the same floor already and we wanted to do something nice for all the nurses and doctors who has been so good to us. I ordered food to feed both CCU, 15th floor staff, the elevator staff, and of course our family. I also had decorated Mama and Papa’s room to cheer them both up and send give out some holiday cheer.
Christmas eve, Papa was having a lot of difficulty breathing. We thought it was an anxiety attack which he’s been having atleast once a day since he’s been in the hospital. However, this one was different. His o2 stats were going down and they decided to put him on a BiPap machine to help him breathe. They also decided to bring him back down to CCU. I decided not to tell Mama until I knew Papa was stable. I didn’t want to stress her out.
Christmas eve wasn’t as I had planned it but we still had food out for everyone. I think it lifted Mama’s spirits to see everyone enjoying what we had prepared and everyone was wishing her a Merry Christmas. I had prepared tiny containers of Papa’s favorite food to bring down to him at the CCU. We were given a go for him to eat his Christmas eve dinner with strict aspiration protocol but we were unsuccessful since his o2 stats were going down every time we removed the BiPap. So we just did presents and he was so excited.:) He immediately asked to wear the sweater I got him and the jacket my half-sister got him. It was the best feeling to see him love his gifts. I gave Mama a cardigan that matched Papa’s sweater.
Christmas day. Papa’s o2 saturation wasn’t improving and the doctors want to intubate. Papa didn’t want to be sedated and intubated. He was afraid he would die if he is sedated. He made me promise to monitor him closely and that he would never be alone the whole time he was sedated. Papa’s heart rate went really low when they intubated they were able to bring it back with meds. However, the intubation balloon was faulty and they had to reintubate. Papa coded and was revived after 6 minutes of resuscitation and 2 epi shots and full blast of medication to help elevate his blood pressure. Called all my siblings to come back to Manila. I kept telling Mama that Papa was sleeping and resting. I waited for their doctor (they have a common attending physician) to break it to Mama. We were so careful with Mama and as soon as the doctor left she continued to pray again.
December 26, we’re all in Manila now. Papa is stable and his x-rays are all looking so much better. There is pneumonia and the doctors suspect Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) but all his stats were stable and doctors were giving him the strongest antibiotics to clear out the pneumonia. The plan was to wean him off the ventilator in 24-48 hours as soon as the lungs have had some time to rest and get stronger.
December 27. 5am. I get a call to go back to the hospital ASAP. It was the most horrible drive of my life. Papa’s o2 and blood pressure keeps dropping. Attending doctor called me to say it was time to say goodbye to Papa. I had the 15th floor nurse bring Mama down medicated and instructed the CCU doctors to have medication ready incase Mama needed it. We all said our goodbyes…kissed and hugged Papa. Papa passed away at 6:48:41 in the morning very peacefully with all 7 of his children surrounding him and with Mama holding his hand till the very end.
With Papa transferred to the chapel and Mama still in the hospital, we were very blessed to have family and friends to look after Mama while we attended to Papa’s wake and funeral. The three of us would take turns going to see Mama in the morning before proceeding to Papa’s wake.
On the morning of December 30 with much orchestration and the help of a lot of people we were able to bring Mama to Papa’s wake – to see him one last time. With a window of 3 hours, we left the hospital at 730 am and made it to the chapel by 8 am. We were met by her best friends and the spent a good hour praying and talking to my Papa. Mama had her private moment with Papa and she was able to send some flowers along with him. We were back at the hospital by 930am. It was heartbreaking seeing my Mom say goodbye to the love of her life.
We cremated Papa on the 31st following Chinese traditions with a Catholic service. He was placed in the family mausoleum alongside his parents per his wishes.
We welcomed the New Year in the hospital with Mama. It was a very different New Year for us but at least we were all together.
Mama was discharged from the hospital January 2nd after being in there for 24 days, but our journey isn’t over yet. Mama has doctors appointments all lined up (currently we are scheduled for the 11th, 15th, and 16th) and she will need to do chemotherapy in a couple of weeks when she is strong enough.
Losing Papa was the worst pain I’ve ever felt in my whole life. I can’t even begin to imagine how much pain my Mama is in after losing the love of her life, grieving and doing her best to recover and strengthen up in preparation for chemotherapy.
I’m starting this GoFundMe page to help raise funds to give my Mama the best fighting chance she can have to beat this cancer. All her doctors are positive that she has a high chance of beating this cancer given the correct treatment, nutritional and environmental support. Please help me get her better. I cannot lose another parent. I don’t want to lose my Mama to cancer. Please help me and my siblings give her the best fighting chance.
My siblings and I need your financial support and prayers as we embark on our journey to help Mama beat colon cancer. Please consider donating to my Mama’s medical fund. Thank you.
Instagram: mamapapashow
#mamapapashow #Yollysbeatcoloncancercampaign
#mamabeatingcancer
Organizer
Livs Yao
Organizer
Suisun, CA
