Woman can’t buy all of sick mom’s medicine

Rita Domingo

While working in a farm in Bacolod City in 2018 to provide for her children, Rita Domingo experienced back pains. A hospital checkup later showed that the 71-year-old widow’s heart and lungs were filled with water while there were stones in her kidneys.

Doctors diagnosed Domingo, who is also suffering from hypertension, with chronic kidney disease stage 5 or end-stage renal disease.

She has since been in the care of her daughter, Ronaly Amador, who took her to Metro Manila to live with her and make treatment easier.

Amador is the sole breadwinner in her family after her husband lost his job in a construction company due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to her, the P4,500 she earns every month as a house help is nowhere near the amount needed by her mother for dialysis sessions and medications.

Because of this, Domingo undergoes dialysis only twice a week instead of three times as each session costs P2,500.

Not meeting the required number of sessions weekly has left her suffering from shortness of breath, swelling of the legs, pain and numbness in the back, and difficulty in walking.

Amador said she also found it hard to raise P14,000 a month for her mother’s maintenance medicines consisting of Epoetin (for anemia), Calci Aid (calcium supplement), Losartan and Amlodipine (both for high blood pressure).

Due to the lack of money, Amador can afford to buy only Amlodipine and Calci Aid and in quantities fewer than those prescribed by the doctor.

As a result, Domingo takes Amlodipine only three times a week instead of thrice a day. The same goes for Calci Aid, which she should drink three times a day but takes only thrice a week.

“I want her to have her medications, especially the injection (Epoetin), but I really cannot afford it,” Amador said.

Her mother needs to be injected three times a week to prevent her hemoglobin levels from going down. Each vial of Epoetin costs P1,000.

“I hope someone can help us buy the medications because that is what I cannot provide,” Amador said.

Those who want to help her mother may deposit their donations in Amador’s BPI Account No. 9609-0359-08. She can be reached at 0930-5137426.