Teen dreams of being brain tumor-free

Maedilyn Surio

Fifteen-year-old Maedilyn Surio dreams of being a teacher and a future where she would be free of the brain tumor she has been burdened with for two years.

After being diagnosed with craniopharyngioma in 2019, Surio underwent chemotherapy and several procedures at the Philippine Children’s Medical Center in Quezon City.

“She loves studying,” said her mother, Marilyn. “She carries her modules with her. Even if it’s harder now, we’ve been adjusting to the new setup of classes introduced because of the lockdown.”

A single parent, Marilyn used to live with her two children in San Marcelino, Zambales, but the distance between their house and the town hospital was a cause for worry.

“The pandemic made it more difficult for us to seek treatment. Transportation was expensive and I couldn’t bring Maedilyn to her regular checkups unlike before,” she said.

Jobless

The family has since moved in with relatives in Quezon City to make it easier for Surio to seek treatment.

Marilyn used to earn P500 a week as a garbage collector but the pandemic has left her jobless, with tightened health measures affecting her sole source of income.

She now spends her time seeking donations for her sick daughter while trying to earn money to sustain her family.

Surio needs to undergo a magnetic resonance imaging scan every three months. Each test costs P15,000, aside from the P1,900 weekly expense for other laboratory tests and consultation fees.

Doctors have also recommended a six-cycle chemotherapy, 21 days apart from each other. Each session will cost P142,629 with the treatment covering anticancer drugs such as carboplatin and ifosfamide (P1,500 and P3,200 per vial, respectively).

Surio has also been prescribed granulocyte colony stimulating factor, which costs P3,500 per dose, to stimulate white blood cell growth to prevent infections. She also needs to take mesna and ondansetron (P192 and P320, respectively) to manage the side effects of chemotherapy.

Donors can contact Marilyn at 0920-3184984 and deposit their assistance into her Banco de Oro account no. 005830129869.