EPISODE #001 – Princess
DIAGNOSIS: Hydrocephalus and Epilepsy
BACKGROUND:
Princess was born in Oriental Mindoro Philippines on July 2016. At six years old, she only weighs 12 lbs., which is that of a 3-month-old baby. She is already blind and cannot talk. She could barely hear and barely move to respond. She can only eat blended food as she can no longer chew solid food. They are so poor that if there is no food available on the table, her mother blends cooked rice with water and just adds sugar for a better taste.
Her parents started to notice that her head was growing big at three months old. Since they live in a remote place, they did not know that there is an available treatment for their baby. The baby’s head continued to grow big until she was two years old. That is when they learned that they could get help if she is brought to Manila, where big hospitals are. However, her skull has grown bigger already at this stage.
In November 2018, with little savings, Princess who was two years old already was finally brought to Manila & got operated on at Jose R. Reyes Memorial Medical Center. The parents just slept outside of the hospital building during Princess's check-ups & surgery as they do not have any relatives in Manila and could not afford a place or hotel to rent.
Unfortunately, after 4 years had passed, Princess developed a tumor on her left ear where the shunt tube was located that caused an infection that reached the brain. The shunt had to be removed in Feb. 2022. She was supposed to get a new shunt after two months but they were not able to go back to the hospital anymore due to lack of money.