EPISODE #006 – Raiven
DIAGNOSIS: Eye Cancer – Retinoblastoma Bilateral Stage IV
BACKGROUND:
Raiven is turning 8 years old on Aug. 7, 2023. He is a member of the GAAF KIDS Birthday Club (GKBC) and is excited to have his birthday cake. Raiven is the second youngest of eight siblings – six boys and two girls. He will receive a Cash Gift of P1,000 on his birthday from the sponsors of GKBC.
Raiven’s eye problem started when he was only one month old. He was excessively crying when the mother discovered that his right eye had a white pupil instead of the normal black one. He was rushed to the Philippine Children’s Medical Center (PCMC) and was diagnosed with Retinoblastoma Bilateral Stage IV (Eye Cancer in both eyes). Due to the enlarged tumor & loss of vision in the right eye, Raiven, at three months old, was immediately operated on to remove the right eye. Then, he underwent a series of treatments such as chemotherapy, cryotherapy & Laser therapy to save the left eye. Frequent follow-up appointments were scheduled to check how the treatment is going and whether it has spread outside the eye into surrounding tissues, or to other parts of the body.
Raiven does have a family history of this disease through his father’s side. His grandfather’s brother had Bilateral Retinoblastoma diagnosed as a baby and was left untreated and thereby lived without sight until his 30s.
Unfortunately, in 2017, two years after the surgery, the cancer came back. This time, more aggressive treatment was administered. A series of tests such as MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging), (EUA) Examination Under Anesthesia, X-ray for Bone Scan, CBC & LDH were done to monitor the size of the tumor and check if it has begun to spread into the other parts of his body. Sadly, it had spread to the lungs but was successfully treated with chemotherapy.
In some cases, these series of checks ups had forced the mother and son to stay and sleep outside the hospital vicinity, sometimes for a week, to save transportation expenses going to and from the hospital. They just shower and change clothes at the hospital. This way, they were able to save about P500 for food and transportation each time they travel from their residence in Norzagaray Bulacan to PCMC in Quezon City. It takes three rides: a tricycle, a jeepney, and a bus to get to the hospital.
In 2019, when Raiven was 4 years old, new tumors had been found in Raven’s left eye again. This is when the mother was told by the eye specialists from different hospitals that there is a newer technique that they want to perform on Raiven in order to save his left eye. It is called Intra-Arterial Chemotherapy which was injecting chemotherapy into the eye. She was told that this is the first time in the Philippines it will be administered to a patient. If this fails, Raven’s left eye will also have to be removed. This was a very painful process for Raiven and when the general anesthesia was gone, he would cry in pain and could not open his eyes for one day.
In 2020, during the pandemic lockdown, Raven was assisted by the Norzagaray Municipality which provided an ambulance to take him to the hospital for his continuous chemotherapy treatments.
Luckily, at this point in time, Raiven’s left eye is clear of cancer. They were able to save his left eye and vision. He just needs to wear eyeglasses for clearer vision in his left eye to help him at school. A regular MRI and EUA & other tests are necessary to see if a new tumor has grown.
Every check-up at the hospital is a struggle for money. Raiven does not receive any disability money from the Philippine government. His mom goes to the City Hall to ask for help. Sometimes, she is given P500 but most of the time she is asked to wait and come back. There are months when she is not given any help at all. Raiven’s father lost his job as a construction worker during the 2020 pandemic and never got back to working again. He became an alcoholic and started gambling despite being unemployed. He got into trouble and went to prison for a year. Upon returning home, he began to abuse his wife and children. According to Raiven’s mother, this may have contributed to why three of the eight kids are now suffering from depression and two of them are currently confined in the hospital. She said that she herself is feeling depressed but had to be strong for the sake of the children especially Raiven who is experiencing a serious illness.
To survive, Raiven’s mother is running a small sari-sari store selling turon, banana Q, drinks, and other snacks & food products. However, her capital is from a Bombay usurer who comes and collects P500 every day for her installment. She barely makes income after paying the monthly store rent and the daily installments to the Bombay usurer. The big challenge is when she closes the store to bring Raiven to the hospital.
She also scavenges in the market trash for food that is nearly expired. Some vendors who know her already set aside the expired food for her instead of throwing them in the trash. This helps in times when all the money goes to the usurer and there is no food to serve on the table for the family.
With this family situation, there is clearly no support at all for Raiven’s medical needs. Raiven said that he is tired of being bullied at school. He looks forward to continuing his studies for a better future if his health improves through nutritional food.