hey baby,
mummy chanced upon the plight of this little feisty girl name Charmaine who has been diagnosed with neuroblastoma. She is currently in the 4th stage and fighting hard. Her mummy and friends are greatly saddened that such a sweet and cheerful little girl has to undergo so much pain and suffering at such a young age. And she is only turning 4 this 14th july.
In order for them to help Charmaine fight this cancer battle, they are raising funds for the substantial medical expenses and the expensive treatments. To double Charmaine's chances of survival, there is an alternative form of treatment for neuroblastoma offered in the US. The drug used in the treatment is known as 3F8, which is produced by the white blood cells of mice. These antibodies are given intravenously to a patient and will circulate in the bloodstream till they attach to a neuroblastoma cell. The patient's own immune system will then attack and kill the neuroblastoma cell. This treatment has been used in more than 500 patients since 1987.
They will need to raise SGD500k (and this is only the cost for the treatment alone) within a stipulated time, in order for charmaine and her mummy to fly to New York to receive the treatment.
Below is a heart wrenching entry written by Charmaine's mummy Cynthia appealing for help.
I thought over, probably a couple hundreds of times wondering how to write this entry. At the end of the day, I still have no idea what to write. Truth is when I first saw the email sent by Dr Aung on the amount needed to bring Charmaine to New York for treatment, I was shocked. $350,000 is the upfront deposit. I weren’t sure what currency it was in.
Sent Jolene and Charlene a text message, ending the message with “I would give up if it is in USD”. And of course, the bad news never ends.
$350,000 USD. Half a million Singapore dollars.
How would I ever be able to raise this amount of sum? How do I convince anyone that Charmaine’s life is worth half a million dollars? I don’t know how. I seriously don’t know how. So many times, I want to give up. I don’t know how to think. I don’t know what to think. I don’t want to think. I don’t dare to think. A week has passed since I received the email and I know I have already procrastinated a week away and made no progress. I am brought up to think rationally and weigh my decisions against benefits and cost. Rationally speaking, I know fully well that half a million dollars can be better spent on saving thousands of malnourished kids in Africa than on Charmaine who only has a 40-50% chance of survival even with the antibody in New York. But Charmaine is my daughter. No amount of money can justify how important she is to me.
And Jase. Despite Jase’s young age and maturity, I know fully well that he loves his mei mei just as much as I do. I would do just about anything to save her. I thought about selling my kidney, being a surrogate mom. They may sound stupid and crazy but my conscience feels so much better with me earning that USD $350,000 because I cannot think of any rational reason to convince you to help me save Charmaine.
I really thought of giving up. Its so much more easier and I am so tired.I don’t want to think about anything anymore. Its easier just remembering the next doctor’s appointment, the next time for medication, the next time to pay the bills and just things I can do without thinking…
I even avoided Jolene and Charlene for a week because I have no answer for them. Their suggestion to go public and seek for help. My permission to allow them to publicise the materials.
Even as I am typing right now, I don’t exactly know what am I doing. I don’t know what I have decided. I don’t know the consequences of me typing this. The only thing I know for sure is that should anything happen to Charmaine, I would never be able to forgive myself for not trying to fight for Charmaine when all she has to help her is me.
This is the very reason why I am typing this.
Dear friends, please help Jase and me to save Charmaine.
Thank you.
Cynthia
daddy & mummy are doing our part to help Charmaine:
- participate in the fund raising activity of buying disney cushions (1 set of 5 designs)
http://www.singaporemotherhood.com/forumboard/messages/581296/2625433.html?1246212270
- daddy offered his office as a collection point for the buyers to pick up their purchases, as the current pick up points at Ubin and Tampines are too limited for some to access.
in years to come, when you read this, mummy hope you'll be appreciative of what life have install for you and also be compassionate and to put those less fortunate people before you...
and hopefully by then, Charmaine would have grown into a healthy and happy teenager, and as feisty as she is now...
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