A FARM laborer is looking for donors to support the lifetime treatment of her 16-year old son who’s suffering from kidney failure.
As farm laborer at Alno, La Trinidad, Benguet, Rita Anuden receives between P2,000 to P3,000 a month, which is not enough to sustain the treatment of her 16-year-old son Humphrey.
Humphrey, eldest of three children, has to undergo thrice-a-week hemodialysis in order to survive.
Rita has to pay at least P2,250 for each blood-cleansing session, or about P6,750 a week, presently being subsidized by Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (Philjealth) for a maximum of 90 sessions per year.
A three session per week, however, the boy has to have 156 treatments a year, or 66 more than the Philhealth allocation. The support also goes down each time the patient is hospitalized, equivalent to one per day of confinement.
A native of Hungduan, Ifugao, Rita lost her husband, Majesty, in July 2009, making her the sole breadwinner as a farmhand.
Humphrey’s case was diagnosed last April after he was brought to the Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center complaining of weakness and dizziness.
“(His mother) cannot sustain his thrice-a-week hemodialysis due to her irregular source of income,” social worker Charity Mabini noted in a report she made on the medical case.
People who can and want to help may ring up the patient’s cellphone number, 09500413043. (Ramon Dacawi)