Kidney patient wants to live for his family

MANILA, Philippines – Twenty-nine-year-old security guard Richie Garbino had always been the guiding light of his family.

The eldest of 10 siblings, Richie had worked hard for the past eight years to provide for his poor family in Iloilo City.

“I am very good at saving money,” he recalls.

“There were times I had sent money to my siblings without my wife’s knowledge.”

Richie’s family lives in the squatter area at 132-A Sitio Ruby, East Fairview, Quezon City.

He is married to Jonalyn and they have been blessed with two cute boys, J.R., 8, and R.J., 4.

Richie believed he had a good life, but everything changed when he was diagnosed with kidney failure in 2006.

Doctors could not pinpoint the exact cause of his kidney disease, called chronic glomerulonephritis. However, doctors say that Richie’s intake of fatty, oily and salty foods may have been a factor.

By 2007, Richie noticed that his skin had turned yellow and he had difficulty breathing and moving around.

Soon after, he was out of job and sentenced to a lifetime of expensive dialysis.

Because of this, Richie approached The STAR’s Operation Damayan to ask for assistance.

According to doctors at the National Kidney Institute, Richie needs to undergo dialysis three times a week, with each dialysis costing P4,000.

“I don’t have any money left anymore,” he said.

“I can only go to dialysis once a week and I feel so weak without it.”

Whereas before, his parents would communicate often, Richie now admits that he hasn’t heard from them for a long time.

“They haven’t been replying to my texts,” he said. “I don’t know what happened.”

Richie needs a kidney transplant

The kidney’s main function is to remove wastes and toxins from the body.

If the kidneys fail, these waste products would accumulate in the body and can become fatal.

In fact, Richie’s blood creatinine levels (which reflect the excess wastes in his body) are 18 times over the normal limit.

His skin is ghostly pale due to a blood hemoglobin of 6.8 mg/dl, which means he has less than 50 percent the amount of blood in a normal person. To complicate matters, his heart and lungs also showed signs of damage.

“Unless we do a kidney transplant, we cannot give a good quality of life to the patient,” kidney specialist Dr. Robert Tanchanco says.

At The STAR, Richie explains, “I have already accepted my illness. I try to think positive and pray I can find the right person to help me. Without dialysis, it’s hard to breathe, and I feel like I’m drowning.”

Despite his precarious condition, Richie still manages to go to church every Sunday.

“I want to live. I have to live. Otherwise, who will take care of my children?” a teary-eyed Richie said. “At least, I am fortunate that my brother Raymond is willing to donate a kidney for me.”

As a charity patient at the National Kidney Institute, Richie still needs P200,000 for a kidney transplant.

Why should strangers help Richie?

“I don’t know where else to turn,” Richie said. “It’s difficult to even think without my dialysis. I only live from day to day. My wife is out all day looking for funds. I’m lucky to have her.”

For those who would like to help Richie, please contact him at cellphone No. 0928-755-6657.

You may also course your donations through Ms. Millet Dioso of The STAR’s Operation Damayan at telephone number 527-7901.

(For questions about Richie, e-mail me at [email protected] or text 0916-732-8618.)