Mary Grace Hamblosa
MANILA, Philippines — Mary Grace Hamblosa was about to graduate from college when she was diagnosed in 2018 with rheumatic heart disease. Although she completed her studies, the illness has left her in poor health, affecting her chances of finding a job.
Hamblosa is the only child of Rolando, a construction worker, and Marina, who suffers from scleroderma rheumatoid arthritis.
“We were in the middle of our last thesis project in December 2017 when my knees started to swell, down to my ankles and feet, until my fingers experienced the same,” said the 21-year-old marketing graduate of Cavite State University in Carmona, Cavite.
Hamblosa told the Inquirer that she was initially brought to two hospitals in Cavite province but they turned her away because they did not have the medical equipment to carry out a diagnosis of her condition.
She was eventually brought to the Philippine General Hospital on Jan. 5, 2018 where she stayed overnight after being given a pain reliever.
“I went back to the hospital after one week. I underwent 2D-Echo and ECG tests and the results showed that I needed to undergo open heart surgery for valve replacement. Doctors told me that the longer I put off the operation, the worse the damage will get,” Hamblosa said.
She will need P280,000 for the operation, including doctors’ fees.
Hamblosa can be reached at 0910-8637603. Donors can deposit their donations in the Landbank account of her mother Marina Hamblosa with account number 4748-4432-8014-0659.