Ereal Brix Lapaz
It was not until Ereal Brix Lapaz suffered a bad fall while playing with his friends in July 2016 that his family discovered he was afflicted with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
“He had a high fever the following day, prompting us to bring him to a herbalist. When the fever persisted, we went to a hospital but he still did not get better,” Lapaz’s 32-year-old mother, Maryiel, told the Inquirer.
When they transferred him to Philippine Children’s Medical Center, doctors recommended that he undergo chemotherapy.
“Except for some delays in between chemotherapy sessions due to falling platelet counts and low hemoglobin levels, his treatment went smoothly because he has no problem ingesting ampalaya juice, carrots, tomatoes and papaya,” Maryiel said.
Lapaz, who is now 9 years old, will undergo in Sept. 12 of 14 chemotherapy sessions prescribed by doctors. Each session costs P17,000.
The family also needs to raise 20,000 for a bone marrow test for Lapaz.
Although her husband, Eriberto, has a steady job at an appliance center in Caloocan City, Maryiel asked Inquirer readers for help as his salary is barely enough for their family’s basic needs.
Maryiel Lapaz can be reached at 0922-9354833. Donations can be deposited through her husband’s BPI account (Eriberto Lapaz, with account number 9909-2092-58).