Single mom battles for leukemic daughter

Allysa Domilyn Aquino

MANILA, Philippines — Unmindful of the intravenous line for the dextrose attached to her hands, 9-year-old Allysa Domilyn Aquino of Mangaldan, Pangasinan province, brought joy to the people around her as she danced and sang on top of her bed at Philippine Children’s Medical Center.

In August last year, Aquino experienced weakness while her complexion turned pale. After undergoing a blood transfusion, she was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Aquino is a Grade 3 student at Bari Elementary School although her studies have been affected due to her chemotherapy sessions and limited capacity to accomplish the modules assigned to her under the distance learning setup.

Her mother, Emilyn, a single parent, told the Inquirer that her daughter’s cousins would sometimes help her in answering the learning materials while Aquino continued to hone her reading and writing skills.

Emilyn is unemployed because looking after her daughter is a full-time job so she and Aquino rely on her parents and other family members for financial support.

So far, Aquino has undergone three out of four recommended cycles of chemotherapy. Each cycle costs P76,332. After that, she will undergo maintenance chemotherapy consisting of 12 cycles, with a total cost of P264,576.

Emilyn appealed for help from donors, saying that “as a solo parent, it has been really hard.”

“She is my only child so as early as now, I am thankful for those who would offer their assistance,” she said.

Those who want to help Aquino can deposit their donations in her mother’s BDO account (Emilyn Aquino, account no. 012210029453). Emilyn can be contacted at 0938-4563820.