| Gaylan Family- Cirilo and Meldred (parents) L to R Jasper 11, Joman 10, Jonas 5, Jessica 6 |
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The Gaylan family is part of the MMP (Mission Ministries Philippines- organization we are partnering with this first week) church in Montalban. Jessica was born with a large facial mass over her nose and forehead, in which her brain was protruding forward – called an ethmoidal meningocele.
“Encephalomeningocele, especially in the frontoethmoidal region, is a form of neural tube defect which affects patients in Southeast Asia more commonly than in Western countries. Its underlying cause is not known but teratogenic environmental agents are suspected.Encephalomeningocele is a congenital malformation characterized by protrusion of meninges and/or brain tissue due to a skull defect.” For more info on this diagnosis, check out http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2377/2/3
Jessica has had multiple surgeries already, and still needs 3 more neuro-plastic surgeries within the next 2 yrs. She also has monthly checkups
where she receives injections to form and strengthen her bone. She will also need to continue with the checkups and injections for a total of 15 years!
each checkup/injection costs 1500 pesos= $33 One year of checkups is $396
| Jessica |
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Jessica wants to finish all her schooling and become a nurse one day!!
Only Jessica attends school and her parents proudly share that she is at the top of her class.
The two oldest boys each attended one year of classes, but then had to drop out because the family couldn’t afford to send them any longer. They would like to return to school, but in the meantime they help around the home taking care of the goats. The family chose to send Jessica because she is very bright and because the boys can help around the home and learn trades to work without needing the education.
Transportation to school costs 20 pesos and one day of school costs 7 pesos (27 pesos = 59 cents/day) One year of schooling is equal to $118/student
Cirilo (the father) has not been able to work consistently for the last 3 years due to an enlarged heart and quick fatigue, and he feels very sad at not being able to provide for his family.
There is no gov’t financial help, so the costs of Jessica’s medical bills are a big stress on the family.
They have been praying to God for financial support, and when I gave them some money for the next hospital visit and some food, the parents started to cry and the children broke in to smiles. They said they knew the Lord would provide, and this was an answer to prayer. Jessica’s next checkup is tomorrow, and they didn’t know where the money would come from. The church here helps as much as they can, but the fees are too large for them as most of the families struggle to make ends meet. I shared with the family that I would let friends and family from back home know the situation and see if we could help them out more, they were so grateful!
If you feel a tugging on your heart and would like to contribute, you can do so in one of 2 ways. If you want to contribute within this month (by the end of Sept) and could get money to my parents, they could deposit it into my account and I can pull it out to give to the family directly OR you could send it to :
John Mark Lindvall, President Mission Ministries, Inc. His address is P. O. Box 10044 , Costa Mesa California 92627 USA . His email addres is
[email protected]
and
Missionministries.org
. If needed you can also contact him at (909) 621-7035 fax (909) 621-3605. Just designate it
Gaylan Family in Montalban Rizal ( Mission Ministries Philippines) . Mr. Lindvall will send you an official receipt every time he will receive a donation from you.
