Canadian family needs help bringing home mom with cancer after accident in Philippines

Leonora “Nora” Ramos had been diagnosed with cancer and wanted to travel from Canada to the Philippines to visit relatives. However, an accident landed her in the hospital while on vacation, and now her family is raising money to bring her back home.

“Mom was recently diagnosed with cancer a few months ago, and when she found out this news, she said she wanted to go back home to the Philippines one last time,” stated her daughter Bev in a GoFundMe post. “I didn’t think it would be possible, but when her doctor said, ‘Okay, go and do what you want to do now, we said, ‘Let’s do this!'”

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So the family got ready, ensuring they had everything they needed, including travel health insurance.

Bev described it as “a whirlwind trip” that included a trip to Victoria, Laguna, to see Nora’s family.

“It gave mom a chance to visit old friends and see some childhood landmarks,” stated Bev. “She also had a wonderful reunion in Butuan with family and old friends there as well.”

The family was making the most of their time and nearing the end of their trip when Nora slipped and broke her hip.

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“What ensued shortly after is something we never would have expected nor would wish on another,” stated Bev. “Mom suffered from an infection that led to sepsis which required her to be intubated for breathing support from a ventilator, and when we thought the infection cleared up and she was successfully extubated, she suffered a cardiac arrest and had to once again be intubated.”

The family had been scheduled to return to Manila on August 8, but Bev and her dad chose to remain by Nora’s side.

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Nora even fought through pneumonia, kidney failure, and a pneumothorax due to CPR compressions. She spent two weeks in the ICU on a ventilator until she was finally weaned off the ventilator, and the medical staff started working on making sure that she was stable enough to return home.

However, Nora’s care has come at a cost, and the family expects more expenses.

“Through all this, we were lucky to have had the support from her medical insurance,” said Bev. “However, now her coverage is fast dwindling, and we need help to cover the cost to continue her medical care and her flight home.”

She stated her mom would likely need additional resources like oxygen support onboard the plane, among other medical requirements.

GoFundMe

“The Canadian Embassy in Manila suggested we ask for support from family and friends,” said Bev. “I know mom would not be pleased reaching out for help, but I also know that she would be the first to help anyone if the situation was reversed.”