Family reunion in Canada turns into ICU fight for grandma from Philippines
A joyful family visit turned into a time of anguish for a family in Canada after a grandmother visiting from the Philippines suffered a sudden medical emergency.
According to Genesis Mendoza Pollente, her mom was visiting Canada from the Philippines for a special reason: to meet her first grandchild.
“My mom came to Canada to finally meet her first granddaughter and spend precious time with our family,” wrote Pollente in a statement shared on GoFundMe.
However, on Feb. 19, her mother suffered a ruptured brain aneurysm, causing severe bleeding in her brain. Pollente, who’s based in Vancouver, said that her mom was rushed to the hospital, where she underwent life-saving emergency brain surgery.
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“It all happened so suddenly and without warning,” she recalled.
Since February, Pollente said her mother has remained in the ICU under constant medical care, with the family at her side, praying for her recovery. However, the severity of the hemorrhage and emergency surgeries has exhausted her mom’s travel insurance, and medical bills continue to mount.
“As a visitor, she is not covered by the Canada Health Act public healthcare system, and the medical expenses have quickly grown far beyond what our family can manage on our own,” stated Pollente.
She said that the family hopes that her mom will recover and be stable enough to travel safely back to the Philippines, where she can continue to recover with the support of loved ones.
GoFundMe
For now, the family is seeking support to cover medical bills and future costs to transport her back home when the time comes. As of March 20, their GoFundMe has raised $6,920 raised of the $200,000 goal. A GoFundMe representative confirmed that the fundraiser has been verified.
Recently, another Canadian family turned to the public for help after a Canadian woman unexpectedly passed away while on a trip to the Dominican Republic.