9-year-old girl battling leukemia wants to be a doctor

Ashera Lira Marcaida

MANILA, Philippines — Before Ashera Lira Marcaida was diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL), she went with her mother, Lucel, to their hometown in Malasigui, Pangasinan province, for a vacation.

“That was in December 2015 when she was only 4 years old. When they came back, my daughter looked so frail and her blood platelet count was very low,” said Marcaida’s father, Alex.

They brought her immediately to the Philippine Children’s Medical Center where a bone marrow test revealed that she was suffering from ALL, a type of cancer of the blood and bone marrow.

6 more sessions to go

Now 9 years old, Marcaida will undergo on Sept. 27 the ninth of 14 chemotherapy sessions prescribed by doctors. Each session costs P22,000.

“I am very determined to look for donors because despite her condition, she has not stopped attending school. She is now a Grade 2 student at Pamaranum Elementary School in Malasigui, Pangasinan. She said she wanted to be a doctor,” said Alex who works as an electrical wiring store clerk in Manila.

Alex Marcaida can be reached at 0920-1190687. Those who want to donate money for his daughter’s medical expenses can course it through his Landbank account (#0496106849).