Michelle, 37 years old, is a single mother from the Philippines. She lives with her mother as Michelle is hearing and speech impaired. The family relies mostly on government assistance and occasional support from other family members to cover food and utility expenses.
About a year ago, a lump formed on the side of Michelle’s face. Concerned, they took her for a check-up where the doctor recommended a biopsy and ultrasound. Unfortunately, they were unable to proceed with these tests due to financial constraints.
Michelle was referred to our medical partner’s care center, Our Lady of Peace Hospital, where she was told she needed a parotidectomy, a surgery to remove partial or all of the parotid gland. She is scheduled for surgery on December 19th and our medical partner, World Surgical Foundation Philippines, is requesting $1,500 to cover the cost of Michelle’s treatment, diagnostics, and care.
Michelle’s mother shared, “We are very grateful and we appreciate the organizations and individuals dedicated to helping those in need. The amount for this operation is a handful, especially for us who mostly rely on help from others. Thank you very much for helping us.”

