"Why Do You Fight, Deo?"

Last week, my good friend, Khong, messaged me on Facebook and asked, "What are your plans now? What will you do? What are the options? Whom do you fight this battle for?" His last question retained in my mind. To whom do I really fight this battle for? There were so many reasons that I have mentioned, and here are some parts of it:

"What are your options, Deo?"

My doctor said that as of now, there are only two options, go for dialysis or opt for a kidney transplant. We decided to go for the latter. Why? First of all, because of a better quality of life it promises. In dialysis, I would be hooked to a machine that cleanse my blood for 4 hours, 3 times a week. Secondly, I'm still young and there are plenty of things I still want to do. Third, it's my parents wish not to undergo dialysis. And lastly, my doctor suggests that it is better to have it than to choose the other one.
So what is my decision? I must go for a kidney transplant.

"So this fight is for whom, Deo?"

First of all, I am fighting for my wife and my marriage. 

I just got married to a beautiful woman in December of last year. Our marriage is very young. We have a lot of dreams and we are looking at a bright future ahead of us. I know that there's no reason for me to surrender.  I believe that with the help of God, those dreams that we dreamt and planned together, will become a reality. I also believe that this is just a hard start and good things will follow. With the help of God, we can surpass everything.

My wife is a very strong woman. When I first knew about my disease, she's the only one that comforted me. She stayed strong. She acted as my foundation as I slowly build mine. With that, I honor her a lot and she's one of the reasons why I fight this battle.

I fight for Nanay. 

Me and Nanay

Nanay is a very tough woman. My aunts always tell me that she is the strongest of them all. However, being a wife and a mother, I know that somehow, giving her heartache, such as this, could definitely tear her apart. Tatay has been already in this situation, so why am I to join.

I can see the hardships of Nanay as she takes care of Tatay. As I shared before, Tatay is on dialysis treatment. I just can't imagine what she could feel if I would be plugged into a hemodialysis machine, too. I don't want to give her another set of burden, even though I know the fact, that in case it would happen, she will remain strong, and won't show any pain to us. I cannot forgive myself if something bad happens to her, and that is why Nanay, is one of the reasons why I fight this battle.

I fight for Tatay.

Me and Tatay

Tatay is diabetic and that's the reason why his kidneys failed. As I've said earlier, he is undergoing dialysis treatment. Right now, he is doing the procedure three times a week. Three months ago, he just had two sessions a week, but his edema (water retention) got worse. Seeing his fight, it discourages me to go the same path he's in right now. His skin color has changed. He is bloated. He easily gets tired. He even went cardiac arrest many times when in session.

I know that it's hard for him and I know that it would hurt him to see me suffering, too. That is why, this fight is for Tatay, too.

I fight for my friends.
The support I get from my friends are phenomenal. The moment they knew about my disease, they offered help as soon as possible. They even mobilize themselves to help me do fundraisers. They are one of the reasons I fight this battle.

I fight for my service.
I was in the community of Couples for Christ since I was in High School. I started as a CFC Youth for Christ and now, I'm a full time missionary worker of CFC Global Mission Foundation.  I believe that God did not give me this disease if I can't win over it. I want to serve more. I want to fight serving the Lord. If I go down, I will go down while serving Him. This fight is also for service.

Help me fight this battle, friends. I wish that at the end, it is us that wins. Help me to make my hope our fight. 

Nanay Meets My Doctor for the First Time.

TUESDAY, May 17, 2016. 7:46 pm, Ermin Garcia.

Just got home from NKTI. It was a very tiring and emotional day.

It was 8:00 am when I received an SMS from Nanay. She said that they were on NLEX already. She was with Ate Ising and Kuya Rannie. Me and my wife decided to prepare breakfast early.

It was 10:00 am when we met them on NKTI's car park. They were all excited because this is the first time that they would meet my doctor. Nanay, of all people, was the one who was very optimistic. She's optimistic that dialysis and transplant are not needed anymore because my latest blood test result was good. My creatinine level went down from 4.2 to 3.9. We went up to the clinic to be listed on the patient's que. To our surprise, there were many patients than usual and I was the 28th. One of the patients told us that she arrived at 8:00 am and yet, she was the 21st on the list. Time passed.

It was almost 12 noon but still, only six patients got consulted. I asked the secretary and she told me to take our lunch and return by 2:00 pm. We decided to go to the nearest mall to take our lunch. After eating, Ate Ising bought a bag for her daughter and we strolled the mall to kill time. It was hot and humid outside and it was the best place to relax and stand by. Nanay was still optimistic.

It was 2 pm when we returned to the clinic. Waiting was very tiring. To cut the story short, we slept at the waiting que and I got called at around 4:30pm.

Waiting for our Turn. From Left to Right: Ate Ising, Reizel, Karrynne, and Nanay

The first meeting of Nanay and Chad, my doctor, was a bit heavy. I know that she was rating and assessing him silently. She did all the talking and bombarded him with all her questions. What would be better? What would save me? What would save me from the situation my father is in right now. Are dialysis and transplant avoidable? As Chad replied to all ofher questions, she started to feel the gravity and the reality of the situation. She began to cry.

My heart broke when I saw Nanay cried. All the things that made her cry (because of me) flooded my memory. I suddenly realized that all this time, I always brought sadness to her life. I told this to a friend and he said to stay positive and it's not too late. He was right and I moved on. It was good that Ate Ising came because she kept Nanay calm. After a short burst of cry, she calmed down and regained her composure. With a firm but a gentle voice, Chad told her that there is hope. That she doesn't need to feel down because there is hope. There is a cure. It's kidney transplant.

His opinion/diagnosis did not change. I need an urgent transplant to avoid complications. My creatinine levels are rising and we don't want to gamble. Chad said that it's harder when we wait for my creation levels to fully arise than opt for a transplant than to transplant now. He also told us that it is possible to go to dialysis first before transplant but it has many complications. In short, the best option is to transplant now.

There were many blessings right after the consultation. Nanay started to take it positively and her optimism returned back. She pleaded Chad to take care of me and Chad promised to do so. It was 6:15 pm when they left NKTI.

It was a very difficult scene to watch Nanay cry. I know how that feels. I'ved been there when I first knew my disease. But, it was a very positive experience when Chad reached out her hand and affirmed her that he will take care of me.

I bet Nanay is okay now. He met my doctor and had a heart to heart talk with him. I bet she would have peace of mind now. Please pray for her as you pray for me. Please pray for my family.

Thank you so much for reading :)

"So What Really Happened, Deo?"

Since college, I have an uncontrolled high blood pressure. It was asymptomatic, meaning I didn't feel anything wrong. I didn't feel the signs that my blood pressure was high so I didn't do anything about it. My doctor said that my high cholesterol and uric acid levels are responsible for the hypertension. I was given a strict diet, medications and I started to get my blood tested every month.

2012 when my creatinine levels started to go above normal. Sometimes, it would go down to "borderline-normal" then it would go up again. My Nanay and I decided to go to a nephrologist months after the test. My first nephrologist was Dr. Guerrero. He said that I really need to undergo a kidney biopsy procedure. With some air of shock, we decided to look for another doctor. Luckily, our medical pathologist, Dr. Pineda, pointed us to her mother's nephro, Dr. Chua Garcia from St. Lukes Medical Hospital. Without hesitation, we went to see her for a second opinion.

A kidney biopsy is inevitable. Dr. Chua Garcia said that the procedure is really important so there was no choice but to say yes. I stayed at the National Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKTI) for 3 days for the biopsy procedure.  The result was alarming. I have glumerulonephritis and minimal change disease. It also showed that 30% of my kidneys were sclerosed (scarred) meaning, only 70% is functioning. She told us that kidney failure was inevitable. She will just help to delay it maybe 5 to 10 years. She gave me maintenance drugs for my hypertension, cholesterol, and uric acid. She told us that my high blood pressure was the one responsible for my kidney disease.

I did not take it seriously. I changed my diet a bit, but pork and meat were very tempting. Think of fried liempo with a sour soup dipped in soy sauce with chili. That was really tough. But the good news was I stopped drinking alcohol, and quit smoking. I also stayed away from beef and red  meat. But it's not enough. My blood pressure was still uncontrolled.

By mid 2014, Tatay started to go to hemodialysis. It was a big blow in our family. All of my father's retirement funds were allotted on his dialysis. Nanay started to get thin. My friends at work heard about it and they introduced me to a nephrologist in NKTI. He is Dr. Richard Hizon. The fact that tatay was in Bataan and it would be hard for him to see Dr Hizon, they decided to stay there. They also told me to see and have a checkup with Dr Hizon instead of tatay.

I showed Dr Hizon my 2012 biopsy and he has taken care of me since then. Last March he advised us to go for another kidney biopsy procedure. The result was devastating. My kidneys are 92% scarred. Only 8% are working. It was like my whole world came tumbling down. I honor my wife, Karrynne, because she remained calm. She made all the effort to put me back again on my feet.

Deo's Biopsy Result 2016

Right now I have two options. First, is to have hemodialysis and the last one is to undergo a transplant procedure. We all decided to go for the transplant.

Dr Hizon explained that I have Glomerulonephritis since I was young. It was the cause of my high blood pressure and unexplained high uric acid levels. There's no one to blame but my kidneys.

If you know someone who always have a UTI, please consult a doctor ASAP. It may be a glumerulonephritis.

Right now we are searching for a kidney donor. If you know someone who is willing to give his one kidney to save my life, please refer them to me ASAP.
If you want to help us, don't hesitate to click here to know the ways to help us out. You can also assist us in raising funds by donating via PayPal.

Thank you so much for reading :)

Time to Let my Community Know

Last Saturday, me, Ate Liezel, and Auntie Ameng told my ordeal to Nanay. Before, we decided to first keep silent. It's not because we don't respect Nanay or what but with the thought that my father is undergoing dialysis and she's already in pain and it will be more painful for her to know my condition. To cut the story short, she accepted it with an open mind. We concluded to go talk to my doctor at the National Kidney and Transplant Institute on Tuesday.



Now, it's Monday, May 16, 2016, 7:53 am. Ermin Garcia Cubao
I'm preparing our breakfast and getting ready to work. Since my mother already knew, I am now planning to talk to my community and ask for help. Please pray for me so that the right words will come out of my mouth. Also pray for me to have the courage and strength to face this ordeal.

I will post what will happen later :)

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My First Post

This is my first post! It's 11:23PM (Philippine time), May 5, 2016. Goodnight world :)