assistance needed

Name: Lucas Sacgod
Age:28
STATUS: married with children 8, 6, and 3 years old
Medical History: last month, during a medical outreach with a medic team from boise, we met Lucas. he was sitting on his porch, unable to walk. after interviewing him, we found that he had some mysterious deteriorating disease starting in september of 2008. it began in his toes and progressively moved north until he could no longer walk, stand or move his legs. by the beginning of 2009, he was completely unable to move his legs. so, in just a 3 or 4 months, he had gone from complete health, to being paralyzed.

MRI results: through donation from the team, i brought Lucas to the hospital in Manila to have MRI and consult with a neurosurgeon and orthopedic docotor. the results said...

"Disk degeneration/disk bulge at L4-5/ mild sac indentation/ facet arthrosis/ vertebral marrow changes/ T2 with para spinal and epidural soft tissue mass, causing spinal canal stenosis and spinal cord compression"

in short, Lucas has a tumor in his spine and something is causing his vertebrae to deteriorate. the neurosurgeon was extremely worried about his condition and said that "AT ANY MOMENT, THE VERTEBRAE CAN COLLAPSE CAUSING COMPLETE PARALYZATION IN ALL THE FUNCTIONS BELOW THE AFFECTED VERTEBRAE" (this would include his urinary and partial digestive functions). he said that Lucas needs to be confined in the hospital immediately and have a bone biopsy (to see if there's a virus or bacteria that's causing the severe deterioration) and he needs operation to put supports to keep the vertebrae from collapsing causing the total loss of functions in the lumbar region of his body. he can currently control his bowels and sit up, but without further support, he could loose these functions at any time.

COST of operation: anywhere between 2,500 dollars to 4,000 dollars. we knew we could not afford a private hospital, so we are using the government hospital in Manila. they are extremely overcrowded and we waited 9 hours to be seen and make an appointment for the 30th of June. at this time, lucas will be confined and prepared for the operation. lucas is selling all that he can, but needs more financial help. please email me for more information or send your tax-deductible donation with a note attached to your check that it is for operation sponsorship...thanks and God bless

OUR MANILA ADVENTURE

i got back from manila on friday. i didn't have much of a break. it seemed everything took 3 times as long as it should have (literally) or broke in the time being...first, the van (that we just had a top-end overhaul and wiring work done) broke down 2 hours into the trip. forcing us (lucas, his cousin, and myself) to spend the night in the van, waiting for the morning so the electrician could fix the van. so, we were ready to go by 11am...but traffic and heat were already bad. by the time we got to manila (27 hours later) it was pouring rain (and continued to everyday we were there). we had no problem with the MRI, but when we went to see the neurosurgeon for consultation, he said that "this is a condition for the rich"...in other words, you can't afford to be treated at THIS hospital...so he advised us to go to the government hospital, PGH. so, in between, i met with dr. francis to get the wheelchair and was surprised to see a plastic chair with the legs cut off and bicycle tires with a hand rail bolted on...i almost wanted to laugh, but i said, maybe we better make sure all the parts are with it...and sure enough, there were many parts missing, so francis said he'd find one with all the parts and send it...next time...

so that night, upon request of the doctor, we took lucas to the ER for confinement at PGH. what a bad mistake that was. while waiting there, the sick and very severe cases kept coming in, people who were in extreme pain, or unconscious, or barely breathing were all made to wait in line. when i asked for a wheelchair, they told me to "go find my own". we waited a bit and when the doctor came, (a fresh graduate), he started scolding us because lucas wasn't an acute case...nor was he dying...and kept scolding me, until i "accidentally" told him, that he didn't have to be a jerk about it. i guess i was just thinking aloud...

so, the next morning at 6am, we fell into line at the OPD...there must have been about 200 people or more there at 6am!!! we were fortunate that the guard didn't make us go upstairs to the end of the line since lucas had a wheelchair. so, we get our number and wait...and wait...and wait...until 1pm. then we are seen by the ortho doctor, who then gets the history and has us get back in line until 3pm when another doctor sees him and makes the follow-up appointment for confinement on the 30th! so 9 hours of waiting for a history and appointment! can you imagine...

anyway, on the 30th, i think they will confine lucas and do an operation for his bone biopsy and try to put a stainless brace on the deteriorated vertebrae. they think it's a bacteria or virus eating his bone as well as a tumor on his spine.

then...on the way back from the 9 hour wait at the hospital, we were driving back to the hotel to check out and i took a wrong turn to the busy part of manila. the van kept cutting off, until it would no longer start. so we're broke down with literally 5 lanes of traffic around us beeping and trying to pass us, and we have to recurit some people on the street to help us push and stop traffic. all said and done (and another 3 hours passing), we find out the van had a hose break and all the old poured out, completely ruining the engine. we had a trici pull the van to a local mechanic shop and we all just got on the bus and went home...i'd had enough of manila. today, i called the shop where the van was and was told that it would cost me 7,500 for the labor, 8,000 for the machine shop, and 15,000 for the parts...that's like 30,500 peosos or $650!!!