Family mourns as ‘Baby Aki’ dies while recovering from liver transplant
Aquiro Jazz “Baby Aki” died at the Apollo Hospital in India on Monday, July 22. Image: Facebook/@jollibee.detablan
Aquiro Jazz “Baby Aki” Detablan, who underwent a liver transplant through fundraising efforts, died at the Apollo Hospital in India on Monday, July 22.
Aki’s mom, Jabee Imano Galindes-Detablan, gave the heartbreaking news of his passing to INQUIRER.net on Tuesday, July 23. She confirmed that her son passed away 17 days after the surgery. No details about the cause of death have been released yet.
Baby Aki fought his tough battle against biliary atresia, a chronic liver disease he was diagnosed with last October 2018.
Photos of his father, Antonio Detablan, went viral in March when he was seen carrying Aki while selling banana cakes at the side of a street in Calamba, Laguna.
READ: Laguna dad sells banana cakes for baby’s P1.6M liver transplant
On May 20, the Detablan family flew to India after raising P1.6 million for the operation. Aki celebrated his first birthday in the Apollo Hospital last June 22 and underwent a liver transplant with his donor mom last July 5. They were supposed to return home as soon as Aki recovered.
READ: ‘Baby Aki’ and mom recover after liver transplant, to return home soon
In a Facebook post on Wednesday, Detablan wrote: “Sa lahat po ng tumulong/sumuporta, sa lahat ng fundraising at nag-abot ng tulong, walang hanggang pasasalamat po sa inyong lahat, lalong-lalo na po doon sa mga taong taos-pusong nagbigay ng pagmamahal sa aming [anak na si] Aki.”
(To all who have helped/given support, to all those who raised funds and provided help, I am forever thankful to you all especially to those who sincerely loved our Aki.)
https://www.facebook.com/jollibee.detablan/posts/2534235766639403
Aki’s mom also apologized to everyone who has been waiting for updates of her son’s condition: “Sana po mapatawad n’yo ako sa hindi ko pagsabi kaagad, sobra-sobra po kasi [ang] sakit na aking nararamdaman sa biglaang pag-iwan ni Aki sa amin.” (I hope you can forgive me for not informing everyone right away. The pain of Aki’s sudden loss has been too much.)
The Detablan family will return home to Calamba this week. The family has agreed to open its house for viewing for those who want to see their son, especially the donors who helped them raise funds for Aki’s operation.
In her post, Detablan requested visitors to bring a photo of them with baby Aki, as she will compile these as a remembrance of their baby’s happy moments when he was still alive. She also requested not to receive any messages of condolences nor “rest in peace”, as much as possible, as she does not want more grief over his death.
After the wake, the Detablan family will travel to their hometown in Bicol where baby Aki will be brought to his final resting place. NVG
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