An appeal for John Claude

Last Oct. 4, after my husband Julius and I heard Sunday Mass at the Philippine Centre of Saint Pio de Pietrelcina along Libis, Quezon City, we were approached by the Recel family — Clodualdo and Remedios and their son John Claude. The Recels hail from Sorsogon, and on that particular evening when they heard Mass at the Saint Pio Shrine, they were praying for the healing of John Claude.

John Claude is a 21-year-old graduating nursing student at the Aquinas University of Legazpi City, who was diagnosed November of last year with a very aggressive Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma (Primary Large B-Cell Lymphoma Stage 4). Being a nursing student exposed to different illnesses, he never thought that the common symptoms of communicable diseases such as sore throat, dry cough, weight loss, night sweats, muscle pain and later fever could wind up to fatal cancer. After an official diagnosis, treatment or intervention was implemented. These were:

Chemotherapy (National Kidney Transplant Institute) — This involved the: 1) R-Chops — Six cycles every 21 days, from Nov. 7, 2001 to Feb. 20 this year; and 2) R-Ice — Three cycles every 21 days from March 15 to May 12.

Alternative Medicine — He was submitted to alternative medicine for six weeks until symptoms for brain metastasis started which cranial CT scan proved to be positive for tumors at the frontal and parietal areas.

Radiation (St. Luke’s Hospital) — 1) Whole brain radiation comprising of 25 sessions and 2) Mediastinal mass radiation — It did not materialize since patient was confined at St. Luke’s Hospital for pneumonia (from Nov. 4 to present).

John Claude is appealing to your generous heart and sympathy. He has been confined at the ICU of St. Luke’s along E. Rodriguez for a month now and the running bill is more than P2M already. The family has since sold everything they have, and they are counting on good Samaritans like you.

When Nanay Remedios guested on DZMM via the programs of Julius Babao and Kaye Dacer, and of Karen Davila and Vic Lima to appeal for help, the family was able to raise a total of P518,000.

Nanay Remedios sends this message to all who answered to her plea to help her son:  “My family would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to the good Samaritans who extended their help for John Claude’s medical needs, through cash or prayers, novena and Mass offerings, medical and herbal advices and even cellphone load that I couldn’t help crying.

“People whom I didn’t even know were sharing with our pains despite their own problems, too. One mom sent me P50,000 despite having her own problem, too, with her daughter having a serious illness. The only thing she asked was for me to pray also for her daughter Patricia. A guy who has just recovered from a stroke and could hardly walk came to the hospital assisted by his driver just to give his donation.

“Tet Ang gave P50,000, which was supposedly for her Singapore travel gift to her daughter for passing the nursing board exam. A father and his daughter Lian came over to visit John (the dad’s way of teaching values to his daughter) and brought us an envelope. It has been somehow an awakening experience for me, too. People whom I didn’t even know, people from all walks of life — the yayas, drivers, herbal dealers, a fisherman, a teacher whose class prays daily for John’s healing, and a farmer who sincerely offered prayers for John’s healing and fast recovery. Thank you so much to all of you.”

I was in tears when Nanay Remedios related how, after her DZMM guesting, three people whom she did not know, were already waiting at the ICU, visiting John. The first visitors were the sweet and happy couple Mr. and Mrs. Claude who offered prayers and humble financial donation. The other day, another kind donor went straight to the billing section and offered a handsome amount of money to lessen the running bill. There was even a person who was giving his piggy bank.

Nanay Remedios said, “A man in his early 40s went to St. Luke’s to give me his piggy bank — not actually a piggy bank but an envelope he called as alkansiya — well-kept in his drawer for sometime and reserved for lean days. Actually, it was an amount out of loan proceeds he filed at a time when he lost his job but the loan was approved when he already found a new job.

“But what touched me more was that for just that day, he went to two churches, St. Pio and Baclaran just to pray for John’s healing. I refused the envelope, but he insisted so I accepted because I didn’t want to hurt his sincere desire to help.”

Nanay Remedios has been watching over John round-the-clock and has been on partial leave from her job as DepEd nurse.

“Our house suddenly became so quiet after John’s diagnosis. The father who used to be very loud in the house began to be depressed. Everyone in the family felt the fear of tomorrow, but we find solace in praying together. No wonder because John is the favorite of all of us because he is such a good person, so caring and thoughtful. He won’t sleep at night without giving his father his medicine for hypertension. Russel, the eldest, who used to come home late at night, now comes home early at 8 p.m. for the family rosary. Joseph, the youngest, doesn’t go out with friends anymore and even quit school but has stayed in the house instead to cook for John and play Internet games with him. Also he has been going to church daily to pray for John’s healing.

“Now that we are here in Manila for John’s confinement, Russel periodically comes to Manila to be with brother John Claude for a day or two, while our youngest son has volunteered to be with us here so he can take care of his brother personally. John’s sister who is working in Saudi Arabia as a nurse also decided to come home after learning that John was admitted at ICU. My four children are so close to each other. Me? I have all the pain in my heart but I never cry in front of my son. I want him to see the hope in my face and to feel the strength in me to face these trials because together, we will be fighting them step by step until we see the light of tomorrow.”

Should you wish to help, you may call Nanay Remedios through her cellphone no. 0920-8761588. Or you may deposit your donation to her bank account: Remedios L. Recel (account name)/BDO, Sorsogon Chapter, Sorsogon City (branch)/005990102845 (account no.)  

I’m also personally making an appeal to you, dear reader. There is a reason why you’re reading this column until the very end. It is a sign that God is knocking on your heart not to turn your back but to help in any way you can.

John Claude wants to live. He is young. He has many dreams to fulfill. Please help. Thank you so much! Have a blessed Christmas.