Cyl Robert Arcilla
The first time Cyl Robert Arcilla experienced bleeding uncontrollably from the mouth was when he bumped his head hard as a one-year-old baby.
Now 13 years old, Cyl has been diagnosed by doctors as suffering from severe hemophilia, according to his mother, Amor Arcilla, a music and arts teacher at the Panganiban National High School in Panganiban, Catanduanes province.
“He is totally prohibited from doing anything, including holding a glass of water or walking to the toilet to relieve himself, to avoid internal nose bleeding because his body joints are swollen,” Amor said.
When she and her husband, Robert, brought Cyl for a checkup at the Philippine Children’s Medical Center in Quezon City, doctors recommended that he be given 20 vials of Factor VIII injectable—which is used to treat bleeding in patients with hemophilia—over a 10-day period.
With each vial costing P7,000, the treatment will cost the family at least P140,000, Amor said, adding that depending on the effects, the doctors may recommend more injections.
Amor and her husband, who is jobless, are asking for help from readers as they do not have the money needed for their son’s medication.
Amor Arcilla can be contacted at 0949-6055485. Donations can be deposited in her Landbank (Virac, Catanduanes branch) account (# 0895035041).