DUBAI As the world celebrates Mother’s Day on March 21, the despairing mum of a cancer patient in Dubai is desperately praying for the gift of his survival.
Memelyn Teodosio Rose, 60, said her son Larry Teodosio Castro, 35, a former supermarket staffer, is battling acute myeloid leukemia at a Dubai hospital after suffering a second relapse since 2011 and that he urgently needs a stem cell transplant.
Touching tale
Rose said a three-year-old search for a donor had ended when she was identified as a perfect match but they were unable to go ahead with the life-saving procedure as they could not afford it. “I desperately want to save my baby. Please help me,” she appealed from the Philippines.
Castro, who is Rose’s only child from her first marriage, said: “It pains me to see my mother in such despair. She cries all the time. I pray that we can go through the transplant as early as possible. A hospital in New Delhi is ready to do the procedure but we do not have the money for it.”
A copy of a medical report from the Delhi hospital confirmed that Castro needed an “urgent Haplo identical donor transplantation” and that his mother would be the donor. It estimated the cost of the procedure at $40,000.
Castro said: “There is no way we can raise such a huge amount. In fact, I have no idea how I will even clear my current hospital bill in Dubai which has already crossed Dh110,000.”
Dubai social worker Pam Gouri, said: “Castro first approached me for help two years ago. But at that time, he did not have a transplant donor. His mother has now passed the matching test and I hope they get the required financial assistance.”
She said: “He is only 35 and has a whole life ahead of him. I earnestly pray he gets his second lease of life.”
Castro said he was hale and hearty until 2011 when his gums started bleeding and he developed fever. “It has been downhill since then. I spent five months in hospital in the first year and five more after my first relapse in 2013. With the second relapse now, I have been in hospital since November 2014. I have had enough of this and want to lead a normal life and put a smile back on my mother’s face.”
If you wish to help Castro write to editor@xpress4me.com
