Ralph Laurens Bancal
MANILA, Philippines — When the lockdowns started, Elisa Bancal didn’t know how to get help for her youngest son, 8-year-old Ralph Laurens, who was diagnosed with a malignant germ cell tumor when he was only 5. Germ cells develop in the embryo and make up the cells in a person’s reproductive system.
“It became harder to ask medical assistance for Ralph Laurens,” Bancal said. She used to be able to travel freely and go to different agencies to seek donations. But the constant lockdowns due to the COVID-19 pandemic have limited her and her family’s mobility.
Ralph Laurens is required to have frequent checkups and tests because of his rare condition. Bancal said they usually spend P35,000 to P40,000 monthly on laboratory fees alone.
“The doctors told me that they need to monitor him for possible cancer cells,” she added.
His tests include a CT scan (P20,000), which he must undergo every two months; a bone scan (P29,000); and other blood exams. Ralph Laurens’ laboratory fees can reach up to P80,000 a cycle, mainly for blood tests and treatments to make sure his methotrexate levels are normal.
All these can amount to more than P1,251,288 a year, with other treatments like platelet apheresis included.
Bancal and her son, who is in Grade 3, currently live in a rented house in Batangas province, far away from Philippine Children’s Medical Center in Quezon City where the boy seeks treatment.
“The pandemic really affected us,” Bancal said.
She usually has to ask government officials for travel assistance as well, so she and Ralph Laurens can ride in an ambulance to go to the hospital. The Bancal family depends solely on the income of her husband, Joel, who works at a factory in Batangas for a daily minimum wage of P378. The couple has two other children.
Bancal can be contacted at 0910-1571205. Those who want to donate money for Ralph Laurens’ treatment can send their donations to the Landbank account of his father, Joel V. Bancal, with account no. 3826006578.