Quiljade “Chin” A. Armas, a 12-year-old girl from Roxas City in Capiz, poses before her hand-painted artworks. Photo courtesy: Quila A. Oro/Facebook
Quiljade “Chin” A. Armas, a 12-year-old girl from Roxas City in Capiz, has been selling her own paintings online, hoping to save enough money to pay for her chemotherapy and other medical treatment.
In May 2018, she was diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia (AML), a type of cancer that starts in the blood-forming cells of the bone marrow.
She was already in grade four back then, and sadly, she had to stop going to school to take a rest and attend to her treatment.
Her mom, Quila Oro, 31, a housewife, has always been by her side to support her as she bravely fights cancer. Oro does not have a stable job and currently works as an online seller, while her husband works as a driver of his parents where he earns only P300 per day.
Given that their income would not be enough to finance their daughter’s medical needs, their daughter Chin thought of using her creative skills to help her parents earn a living and at the same time, raise funds for a cause.
A family friend named Mata Ji also helped them and encouraged Chin to paint. She has been helping Chin’s family to produce and sell more artworks.
Recently, Chin’s mom decided to make use of her Facebook account to promote her daughter’s “paintings for a cause.” Oro showed some of Chin’s paintings via Facebook on May 17, with a description of her brave cancer warrior.
“Hanga ako sa tatag ng aking anak dahil kahit ang dami niya nang napagdaanang pagsubok sa kanyang karanasan sa pagkikipaglaban [sa cancer], si Lord pa rin ang tinatawag [niya],” Oro stated in her post.
She also recalled how her daughter would always tell her, “Mama, huwag kang umiyak. Hindi ako pababayaan ni Lord. Nandito lang siya.” (Mom, do not cry. The Lord will not forsake me. He is just here.)
From time to time, she also posts updates on the progress of Chin’s medical treatment, as well as new batches of her girl’s paintings.
The prices of Chin’s paintings are negotiable and vary depending on their sizes. She usually decides on how much she will give it to the buyer.
“Hindi po si Chin naglalagay ng price [sa mga paintings]. Pag nasa frame na maliit, sa puso nalang po ng mga taong gustong bumili daw po yun [kung magkano nila bibilhin], ma’am. Pero sa malaki, siya din po ang nagdedecide [kung] magkano po niya ibibigay,” Oro told INQUIRER.net in an interview.
(Chin does not put the price on the paintings. If it is in a small frame, it is up to the hearts of the people how much they would want to pay. But on the bigger ones, she decides on how much those will cost.)
So far, some of their friends and other concerned netizens were able to avail of Chin’s paintings. Every proceeds are directly being used by their family to pay for their hospital bills and chemotherapy.
Despite all the pains and struggles from her continuous treatment, Chin is eager to continue with her studies. As the country faces the coronavirus crisis, Chin remains positive and wants to take the opportunity to participate in the online classes this coming school year.
Treatment saga
Chin is still undergoing a bone marrow aspiration test, a procedure that involves taking a sample from the soft tissue of a patient’s bones; and cytarabine chemotherapy, commonly used to treat different types of leukemia by giving an injection into a vein, under the skin, or into the cerebrospinal fluid. She still has eight months more of chemotherapy sessions to complete. Moreover, she is also taking mercaptopurine, an anti-cancer chemotherapy drug that helps stop the growth of cancer cells in one’s body.
Those who would like to avail of Chin’s paintings may reach out by sending a message to her mother via her Facebook account. Those who wish to donate may also contact Chin’s mom at 0907-235-8556 or 0930-651-1429, or deposit donations directly to BDO under the account name Quila A. Oro, account number 003390452219. JB
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