Pinoy Seeks Dh320K Help for Life-Saving Surgery
ABU DHABI: A 35-year-old Filipino, who has been battling cancer for nearly four years, has made an appeal for funds to raise Dh320,000 required for his life-saving surgery.
“This is my third relapse into cancer, and I am determined to beat it. But I must appeal to the generosity of UAE residents to help me avail of an urgent bone marrow transplant. It is my only hope for survival,” Gulf News quoted Larry Castro as saying.
“I have already undergone three years of chemotherapy, and my cancer has returned time and time again. Now I need to get the transplant if I want to get better,” he reportedly said.
Castro, who used to work as a supermarket staffer in Dubai, was first diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia, one of the most common forms of fatal blood cancer, in 2011.
A first round of chemotherapy seemed successful, but he relapsed in 2013. Further chemotherapy was provided, but to no avail. He is now admitted at Dubai Hospital, the news report said.
“It is a painful process to have cancer treated, and I have lost my hair and much of my vitality. But perhaps the worst part is that I have not been able to return to the Philippines in all this time to see my 60-year-old mother and 12-year-old daughter,” Castro added.
While his mother now hopes to be the donor for her son, and schedule the surgery for next month, Castro first needs to make a deposit of at least Dh80,000 towards the surgery cost to the hospital in Manila, said the news portal.
“Through the efforts of my friends and well-wishers, I have received Dh24,000. And another charity has promised to grant me Dh30,000. But I still don’t have access to the full Dh80,000, and I am far from covering the full cost,” he explained.
The cancer patient added that he also hopes to get well so that he can support his ageing mother and growing daughter.
“I lost my job in 2013 after the cancer relapsed the first time. Since then, I have been surviving on the kindness of people here, but have not been able to take care of my family back home,” he was quoted as saying by Gulf News.