6-year-old boy undergoing chemo for leukemia

Justin Rey Clavo

MANILA, Philippines — Before Justin Rey Clavo was diagnosed with acute lymphopblastic leukemia in September 2017, the most obvious sign of the disease was the swelling around the 4-year-old boy’s eyes.

“He could not even open his eyes. He was in a panic, crying while trying to force them open with his hand,” his mother Nerissa told the Inquirer.

The initial findings showed the swelling was caused by an allergy so after Clavo took some medicine, the swelling disappeared.

But it later came back so Nerissa asked her husband Rey to take a leave of absence from his job as a bank security guard so that they could bring their son to the Philippine Children’s Medical Center (PCMC).

“At that time, the swelling had spread all over his body. He could no longer walk. He had bruises. He told me, ‘Ma, please bring me back to the hospital, I cannot breathe,’” Nerissa said.

Now aged 6, Clavo is about to undergo the seventh of 14 chemotherapy sessions prescribed by PCMC doctors on Dec. 19. Each session costs P16,500.

“I am appealing to your readers for monetary help. Thank you in advance for helping my son fight for his life. That’s what doctors always tell him: ‘You’re a fighter,”’ Nerissa said.

She can be reached at 0936-6342131. Donors can deposit their donations in the BPI Family Savings Bank account of her husband, Rey Clavo, account number 6676-3466-25.