Mary Joy and Helen Bagares are grateful for those — netizens, family and friends –, who answered Mary Joy’s plea and helped Mary Joy financially for the cancer treatment of Helen.| Photo from: Lucky Calotes
CEBU CITY, Philippines — A daughter’s online plea for help for her mother, who has been suffering from stage three breast cancer for a year and a half, has been heard and has touched the hearts of several netizens.
Among those netizens, who answered to the plea of Mary Joy Bagares, 22, of Barangay Tinago, Cebu City, are artists Piañar Christian Xevier and Art of Kniel Nangit.
The two artists have initiated a fund raising drive for Bagares’ mother, Helen, 54, who needs money (at least P100,000) for her radiation treatment.
Mary Joy, who is a marketing assistant of one of the pharmacies in Cebu, has been grateful and overwhelmed by the help that came pouring in and the attention that her video attracted that was posted by a friend online on June 24.
Help, gratitude, prayers
On Saturday morning (June 27), Mary Joy posted on her Facebook page that they had already received around P100,000 and that they also need not worry anymore about how to transport their mother from their house to the hospital.
The transport was one of their problems with no public transport on the streets because of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) imposed on Cebu City.
“Naana mi transpo and kaabot nami og around P108K. Thank you kaayo ninyo jud. Will make a thank you video tomorrow (Sunday, June 28). I need a rest Lang sa ha. Sorry kaayo sa mga wala pa nako na replyan. Sorry kaayo jud. Salamat kaayo pud ninyo salamat kaayo God will bless you a hundredfold,” said Mary Joy’s post.
(We now have a vehicle to transport us from our house to the hospital and we now have around P108,000. I want to thank you all so much. I will make a thank you video tomorrow. I just need to rest for now. I’m sorry that I had not yet replied to all of you. I am so sorry. Thank you to you all. Thank you so much and God will bless you all a hundredfold.)
She also would welcome more help especially since she would still need more funds for the cancer treatment of her mother and she could just be contacted through her Facebook page.
For this radiation treatment though, she and her family are all right.
She also asked for prayers from everybody including netizens for her mother.
“Labaw sa tanan prayers. Gusto pud namo pasalamatan tanan tawo na nitabang na namo. God bless them a hundredfold,” she said.
(Above all, we also need prayers. I also would like to thank all who helped us. God bless them a hundredfold.)
A video of a plea for help
This outpouring of support from netizens, family and friends of Mary Joy Bagares and her sick mother started with her video of her plea, which was posted online by a visitor, Lucky Calotes, where Mary Joy shared the challenges of having her mother treated at a hospital.
She cited her financial difficulties and the challenges of bringing her mother to the hospital from their home.
“The city is under ECQ. No public transportation and mama is about to proceed with her radiation therapy. I tried asking for help sa barangay. It was hard, but then they agreed after I stood up and made them understand our situation. But there are times that ako pang agakon si mama gyud sa wheelchair and walk 2.6 kilometers para maka adto sa hospital,” she said.
(The city is under ECQ. No public transportation and mama is about to proceed with her radiation therapy. I tried askling for help in the barangay. It was hard, but then they agreed after I stood up and made them understand our situation. But there are times that I will have to carry my mother and put her on her wheelchair and walk 2.6 kilometers just so my mother can go to the hospital for her treatment.)
Aside from the transport, Mary Joy said that it was financially challenging for her and her family for the cancer treatment of her mother.
“My brother and I are working already. He is an engineer of a shipbuilding company, while I am a marketing staff at a pharmaceutical retail company. My dad is blind and usahay naa gyud iyang mga anxiety attacks. Mao nang kami sa akong kuya maoy ga ipon sa income pero dili gyud ka abot sa budget,” she added.
(My brother and I are working already. He is an engineer of a shipbuilding company, while I am a marketing staff at a pharmaceutical retail company. My dad is blind and he sometimes have anxiety attacks. That is why my brother and I pool our income and yet this is still not enough.)
Calotes made a video of Mary Joy’s plea and uploaded it on her Facebook page, which paved the way for the help that they needed for Helen’s treatment. The plea was answered by netizens, her family and friends.
Amid this COVID-19 pandemic and challenges of the times, it is comforting to know that people still care and still answer pleas of help of those in need of dire assistance./dbs