Parents’ appeal for sick baby

Arianne Aquino

MANILA, Philippines–In their letter sent to the Inquirer, the parents of baby Arianne Aquino said that they might not be able to raise the P4 million needed for her to undergo a liver transplant in a hospital in Taiwan.

“It appears impossible to raise such a big amount but we’re hoping nonetheless that with your [readers’] kindness, [we] will get closer to our goal. It will surely make the life of our baby better,” Joel and Analyn Aquino of Amadeo, Cavite, said.

Joel works as a staffer in a construction company.

Arianne, who turned 8 months old on Oct. 10, “has decompensated liver disease secondary to biliary cirrhosis to extrahepatic biliary atresia,” according to the clinical abstract released by the Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition section of the Philippine General Hospital.

“Joel and Analyn waited for three years to have a baby. They were very happy when Arianne was finally born. But on her fourth month, her disease was discovered,” the baby’s grandmother Thelma Legaspi said.

Arianne’s attending physician, Dr. Germana Gregorio, told the couple that the sooner she has the operation, the better her chances of survival, Legaspi added.

Thelma Legaspi’s contact numbers are 0916-8259116 and 0921-2553329. Those who want to donate money for Arianne can deposit in Legaspi’s BPI account (#1809-0508-11) or BDO account (#562-001-4798).