Hi there! The photos above are of our Uncle Ted (first image, red shirt) and his brother Rey (second picture, white shirt with our family dog)—our dad. They were reunited in 2018 in the Philippines for the first time in nearly three decades. It was also the first time our dad was able to visit home and his siblings since moving to the U.S.
Our Uncle Ted has been diagnosed with liver cancer. The cost of his medications is more than what our dad can and should shoulder on his own. Both of us — his two daughters — are chipping in financially, but the monthly costs are overwhelming.
Our dad is not one to ask for help. He has always quietly given it. He has been the steady provider for his siblings (and now their own children) in the Philippines since his early 20s, when he first left to work abroad. He was the only one them to eventually make it to the U.S. His whole life, he’s worked long hours, lived frugally, and poured his earnings back into two households: the one he came from, and the one he built here.
If you’re able, please consider donating or sharing this fundraiser. Any amount will go directly to supporting our uncle’s cancer treatment and easing the financial burden on our dad. If for any reason we have leftover funds, they will be donated to Health Futures Foundation, a non-profit involved in the management of health programs in the Philippines, where, according to one study, 99% of people can’t afford their prescription medications.
— Rae & Rio
