New Hope and Fight website!

We have a new website! There I will post new updates!
Visit hopeandfight.com by clicking this link!

For the my latest update, kindly go to this link.

First time in here? Click this link to know what happened.

For people who would like to help, click the donate button below.
Thank you for supporting us in our fight! May God bless you more!

When the Doctor met the Donor......... and The Miracle

Getting familiar with this mark. (My hand and Roy's)

"Sampalin n'yo nga yan Doc (Slap him Doc)!" My mother burst in anger when she knew that I didn't fully control my diet the past few weeks. It was the Couples For Christ weeklong anniversary celebration and I was one of the service teams. In short, I have to eat the service meals for a week, making my cholesterol and triglycerides soaring high... Again.

June 28, 2016. It was my second maintenance checkup after knowing my condition. We also decided to bring Roy with us so that if he has questions about the procedure, he can ask everything he wants to know. Roy is a cousin, a brother in Christ and a good friend who would want to donate his kidney to me.

Read here to know more about Roy.

Me and Roy at the waiting area.

He and Nanay departed from Bataan at 5:00 AM and arrived in NKTI at around 7:30AM. I arrived there at around 8:00AM and we waited in the queue. It was 11:30 when we are called in by Miss Helen, my doctor's secretary.

"Kamusta ka (How are you)?" Chad (Richard T. Hizon. MD), my doctor, said the moment he saw me. He also greeted Nanay and Roy a good day. With no hesitation, Nanay immediately said that my cholesterol and triglyceride levels have risen. She also gave him my blood test results.

One of my blood tests.

Chad browsed the test result and affirmed the numbers on it one after the other. "Hemoglobin, okay naman. Spillage, okay din. Tumaas ang cholesterol mo. Kailangang i-maintain mo na talaga and Lypantil at saka Rosuvastatin (Your hemoglobin and spillage are okay but your cholesterol has risen. We have to get you back to Lypantil and Rosuvastatin again)" he said.   "Pero kamusta ang kain mo? Nakakapagpigil ka? (Are you still controlling your diet?)" he asked.

That question made me pause. I forced myself to think of something good to say, but he didn't allow me to say anything, "Hindi! Huminto ka eh... Wag ka na... wag ka nang mag dahilan pa... Kabisadong kabisado ko na yan. Yung mga humihinto na ganyan bago sumagot, alam na yun. (No, Stop thinking of an alibi. Stop your excuses.)"

Nanay cut in and said, "Sampalin nyo nga po, Doc (Slap him Doc)" Chad continued, "Gusto mo yatang ma-dialysis ng maaga eh (it seems like you want to get into dialysis early?)" "Your cholesterol and triglyceride will not rise this high if it's only because we stopped the medicine. It is because of too much intake of food." he continued. "Although the good news is your crea decreased. You were 4 the last time, but now it's only 3.6"

Kidney Transplant 101

Chad wrote my meds on his prescription and I took that time to introduce Roy to him. I told him that Roy has many questions about the procedure. He stopped writing and gave us a short orientation.

"Kidney donation is relatively safe. A person can live with one kidney alone. That is why we always say on our lectures that the purpose of our other kidney is for sharing. Look at the kidney transplant patients. They only have one kidney, but still they live for a long happy life. It's relatively safe. Nothing will change on you. You can still do the things you normally do. The only precaution we have is contact sports. We will advise you to shy away from Taekwondo or Judo or the likes."

"I am planning to go to the gym."

"There's no problem in going to the gym, play basketball and any sports."

"How about running and jogging?"

"It's okay. Nothing will change in you. You still have the capacity to have a child and go to work. The risk of the operation is very small. The risk is less than 1%. Since the technology today is better, we will not "open" you up. We will just use a "telescope" and 2 days after the operation, you will be discharged."

"Will it leave a scar?"

"Just a small mark." Chad unbuttoned his polo to show his scar below his chest. "I underwent in that procedure, but I don't know if the mark is still here." The scar is small and unnoticeable. He got that scar due to his gall bladder. "You can still wear your bikini."

"Will it hurt?"

"There is a post operation pain, but it's manageable. During operation, you are on general anesthesia. One week after the operation, you can go to work and one month after, you can go the gym."

It seems that Roy has no questions anymore, so I asked about the matching.

"Let's start the work up. Let me run through the procedure. There are three phases. First, we will test if Roy has strong kidneys and if it's safe for him to donate. If we can see a small sign that t donation is dangerous for him, we will stop there and look for another donor. You can do the lab tests and ultrasound at Bataan. Second phase is the matching itself and the third is the preparation for the transplant."

Then it's Nanay's turn to ask.

The Miracle

"Doc if we can sustain his creatinine since it's decreasing, let's postpone the transplant till next year because his wife started to conceive."

With surprise, Chad burst in joy. "Good!!! Congrats!!! Ang galing mo talaga! Bihira lang ang maka concieve na ganyan ang creatinine ha. (You are really good! It is very rare to conceive in that creatine level!)."

"It was really a miracle." I said.

"That is why I told Deo to focus first on his wife's pregnancy. This may stress his wife and might affect their baby." Nanay continued.

"For me, I would beg to disagree." Ako po, ang aim ko is as early as possible, ma-transplant si Deo or atleast ma approve siya ng Philhealth (My aim is that Deo have the operation as early as possible or at least be approved by Philhealth). Actually, the creatinine of 3 is already for transplant. Mas maganda po kasi ang pre-emptive. Ibig sabihin, hindi pa nadidialysis, itra-transplant na. (It's better to be pre-emptive and do the transplant before dialysis.)"

Chad kept quiet for a while and thought of something! "We could also do this..." He said suddenly.

If you really want to concentrate on your wife's pregnancy, let's do the work ups first, then lets enroll to Philhealth. If it's already approved, and if your crea is 3 or 4 and you don't feel anything, let's postpone the operation till next year. Kinabahan ako. Baka maubos ang pondo ng Philhealth (I'm worried about the funds of Philhealth). The system and the scenario might change. Sayang ang P600,000.00. (We might not get the P600,000.00)" - He was referring to PhilHealth's Z package.

Know more about PhilHealth Z package here.

"Kaya for the meantime nak,  ingatan mo muna ang kidneys mo. Kung maaaring pangat nalang ang ulam mo. (For the meantime, take care of your kidneys. If it's possible to eat only sour fish)" Nanay said.

"Wag naman po. Kawawa naman si Deo. (Have pity on Deo)" Chad cut Nanay. "He can eat meat and pork as what the dietician told him. Just follow your dietician's orders."

He gave Roy the lab and ultrasound request and he reminded me of our meeting next month to check whether his meds work. With a firm handshake to me and Roy and a nod of respect to Nanay, he affirmed us again not to worry. We got out of his clinic at around 12:00. We went home, ate lunch and brought them to GMC (Global Mission Center). They arrived home in Bataan at around 7PM.

Nanay and Roy at the Global Mission Center

The Search for People With Good Heart... And Kidney

SUNDAY, May 29, 2016 - Ermin Garcia, Cubao Quezon City.
9:00AM. A friend called thru my cell phone asking if we already found a kidney donor. He was a childhood friend and a bandmate in CFC Youth for Christ back in the 90's. We talked for hours and realized something, that finding a kidney donor is much harder rather than raising funds.

It seems like I don't hold any aces in my hand. First, I don't have any siblings to get a spare kidney. Second, all my relatives have health issues that make them unable to donate. My few options are friends, and non-relatives which include people who are not actually related to me literally. And that's what I think the big problem is. Not all people are comfortable with the thought that they will lose a piece of their internal organ :)

The Heroes are Rising

Two or three weeks ago, I received a phone call from my Godfather. He told me that someone saw my blog and was very eager to help. He sounded very excited knowing that it was already 10 in the evening. He gave me the person's number and told me to message the good Samaritan as soon as possible. And so I did. Until now, I am hoping that one day, that person would reply to my message, and still be interested in "sharing" his life to me.


Last week, I met Roy, a very close friend of ours. He is like a brother to me. In fact, he is a CFC Singles For Christ, a brother in Adoracion Nocturna Filipina (Adorador) and a co-lay minister in our parish. He is my fourth degree cousin as well.  He asked about my situation and was very worried about me. Without thinking, I asked him if he could donate his kidney. To my surprise, he said yes. It seemed like he was really planning to tell me that he was willing to donate. I told my parents the good news and they went to talk to his family right away. All went well and we will be having blood test this coming Saturday. I hope all goes well and falls into place as God intends it to be.

Me and Roy

I also received two good news yesterday. First, Nert, also a very good friend, told me that Albert's cousin is willing to donate but, still not clear. Albert has been a co-music ministry member and a good friend as well. Second, Mike, a childhood friend, also knows someone who might be able to help.

"My future heroes are rising" but as of now, the only certain donor is Roy. I hope and pray that our blood tests and matching will be safe and sound. I will update you all on what will happen on Saturday. Please pray that everything would go well. Thank you for reading!

Again, my blood type is "B" and anyone with the same blood type or type "O" can donate. You can also share the link below to help us gather more funds. You can also help us by clicking the donate button on the right side bar of this page or you could go to this link. 

https://gogetfunding.com/deos-kidney-transplant-fund-2/

Thank you so much and God bless us all.

"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 :)