TO ALL GOOD PEOPLE OF THE WORLD:
In the Philippines where 10% of the GNP came from remittances of labor force working in almost every part of the world, It is but usual to leave your love ones behind and make sacrifice of not being with them for a minimum of one year. I have a wife and two sons aged six and two.
It was October 2008 when I received a call from the employer to whom I applied for a job in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. I was told to make preparations for my departure from the Philippines. My flight would be 27th of October.
When I finally arrived here in Abu Dhabi, UAE and being here for barely a week, the sad news came from the Philippines. My wife who is having irregular bowel movements and high blood pressure problems had undergone a CT Scan and they found polyps in her colon. She is only 31 years old. At first she was told by the physician not to worry because the polyps have not yet developed as cancer and it is easily treatable. She was immediately injected daily with something to remove the polyps. In the first week it was only one injection daily, the next week it became three injections daily. These daily injections continued for more than a month. My wife lost as much as 50 pounds in weight in just over two weeks. And her condition is not a bit improving. After a series of blood tests and colonoscopy, the doctor told my wife that she has stage 1 of colorectal cancer .She had undergone 3 sessions of chemotherapy and will continue to have it until she will be cleared of the cancer cells. Hopefully.
My wife is very depressed as I am the only one whom she liked to take care of her. I know the emotional burden she is having right now and the sad thing is I am not beside her to comfort her, to hold her and to give her hope. Many times, she will call me at ungodly hours and she just tells me to come home. But what can I do, we have no savings in the bank, no properties to sell and we both came from poor families. If I will go home then we will only make matters worse because we don�t have the resources to continue the treatment. What I am earning right now as a construction worker here in Abu Dhabi is not even enough for the cost of her treatment and I also have my two boys to support.
As I am writing this letter, my two boys are in the hospital because both of them have a weak lungs and now they were diagnosed with pneumonia. I don�t know what to do and what to think of. I am buried neck- deep in loans and I don�t even know if I can repay my debtors. I often ask God if He is really there and why He permits these things to happen to my family.
I am soliciting help to all who have kind hearts to extend their generosity to one poor husband and father. Any advice, financial help, medicines for my wife�s treatment will be very much appreciated.
I want to go home, I want to hug my wife in times of her suffering, I want to hold my kids. I want to PERSONALLY take care of my family. Please help.
Dennis G. Selm