Joachim “Wax” Maceda
Ever since her 3-year-old son, Joachim, or “Wax,” was released from the Perpetual Help Medical Center in Las Piñas City in April, Mona Maceda has been closely monitoring him, worried that he might have another epileptic seizure.
“Wax was just 1 year old when he had an attack because of diarrhea and high fever. He was hospitalized but immediately discharged two days later. The next episode happened in February this year due to high fever and bronchitis. Two months later, he was again confined in a hospital in Cavite province where we live but I decided to transfer him to Perpetual Help where his pediatrician was,” Mona said.
During his confinement which lasted a week, Wax had his most severe attack yet—a seizure every two hours—she recalled. The doctor promptly recommended a computerized tomography (CT) scan and referred the boy to a neurologist. The results of the CT scan and electroencephalogram (EEG) showed genetic epilepsy with febrile seizure due to an arachnoid or brain cyst.
“When we found out, I couldn’t help but cry. I felt sorry for my son as he was just 2 years old then,” said Mona who has two other children. The diagnosis affected her as well. “During our stay in the hospital, I experienced depression and panic attacks. I couldn’t eat or sleep. I cried every night. Actually, when I think of what happened then, I still get anxious.”
Wax has gotten better since then, although his immune system remains weak, according to Mona. The boy remains prone to illnesses, usually fever, cold and cough, and only recently, he was diagnosed with bronchial asthma and needed to undergo medication for two months.
The doctor has placed Wax on Keppra, an antiepilepsy medication that he must take twice a day. On a monthly basis, Mona Maceda said they spend around P5,000 for his other maintenance medicines and P2,500 for regular medical checkups to monitor if the cyst is growing. If it does get bigger, Wax may have to undergo surgery to remove the cyst, she added.
For now, Mona and her husband need to raise around P55,000 for a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) test Wax needs to undergo soon. The actual procedure will cost P20,000, while the professional fees for the doctor and anesthesiologist, on top of other miscellaneous fees, will total around P35,000. Those who want to help may deposit their donations in Mona Maceda’s PSBank account with account no. 1334-0000-0886. She may be contacted at 0919-0611318.