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2010-09-08T04:49:00.000-07:00

A letter from Rowena Briones:

August 20 at 5:42pm

Dear Friends,

That Donjie Bendana has an End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) must be known to everyone by now. That his disease started when he was 20 years old and that he and his family has suffered since, so he would survive, perhaps not all of us are aware of this just yet.

That Donjie Bendana asks for our help must be known to everyone by now. That the help he asks from us is not just financial help, perhaps not all of us are aware of this yet.

And so, let us clarify a few things.

First: After ten years of living with his disease, this is the first time that Donjie had openly asked for help from us. Why? Because asking help is not easy. Who among us would like to be openly helpless and pitied? I suppose none. But he have had to be brave to ask for help from each and everyone of us because HE WILL DIE IF HE WILL NOT GET ANY.

Second: Yes, his cry for help is urgent. No, we are not being forced to help. What we are being asked, that he had sought us, is to try as much as we can to imagine how is it like to be him? If we are him? How would we like to be treated?

If afterwards we find in our hearts, willingness to help and that this willingness be translated into a concrete act of helping him, then this is what was taught to us in highschool (and what life, after all, is continually teaching us)-- that the charity of Christ (shown to us), urges us (to show it to others, especially to those who need it most).

Indeed, his dire situation would be eased by money that we can give to him but the bigger picture of Donjie asking for our help is not that. The big picture is him, finding love and succor from God through us. The big picture is us- us who are lucky enough to have spent the last ten years not in sickness but in health- taking on the chance to do good, to be human with a heart.

Donjie Bendaña's Medical History and Personal Letter:

I am Donjie Bendana. My parents are farmers and I am the eldest among a brood of four. They have worked all their lives to provide for us decent lives, despite the limited income from our small piece of land. I, myself, strived to finish school, which I did as I now work as a part-time medical technologist, as my health would allow for me, as I need all resources I could find so I can at least afford some of my medicines. Mine are simple dreams: I want to be able to take care of my family, to work honorably, to love generously, to be happy.

I am 30 years old and I have an end stage renal disease (ESRD) which began as a chronic kidney disease when I was 20. My family has spent all of our resources and has went in debts so I can live with this disease. We have by far exhausted all financial assistance that charitable individuals and organizations could extend. But we have to keep on. I am appealing to your good heart to help me with my dialysis treatments and medicines and to make kidney tranplantation possible for me.

Each dialysis treatment costs Php2,500.00 As with all ESRD patients, I have to undergo this treatment thrice each week but often we can only afford bi-weekly treatments, sometimes making do with one treatment because we simply cannot afford it anymore.

I also need to continuously take these medications:
Calcium carbonate
Metoprolol 50 mg
Clonidine 75 mg
Losartan
Amlodipine 10 mg
Renogen
Iberf-fa
Sorbifer-fa
Fortifer
EPO 4000msq
Dulcet TID
Catapres 75, TID
Fesua TID
Vitamin K 10, IV TID
Herosbr api IV q 8
Levo floxan Qu/ CD

A kidney transplantation is my only chance to live. This procedure will cost around a million pesos, an impossible amount for me if I will be without help from kindhearted people like you. For now, what I urgently need is tissue screening of my sister so we can know if indeed she will qualify as a donor. This procedure alone costs Php50,000, an amount I also have to appeal to your good heart.
It has become impossible for me and my family to afford all my treatments and medications by ourselves. The kidney transplantion would only be possible through the help of other people. I have nothing but faith, that I will be blessed by your help, by everyone's help to make possible for me a new kidney, to make possible for me a longer life. My disease has drained us but each time I realize I still have a strength left and there are people who would help, in one way or another and that I would like to live. How can I choose not to when to live is to be able to repay the kindness I have received? When to live is to be able to do good?
My home address is: Berva St. San Juan Pili Camarines Sur. I opened a bank account where you may deposit your donations with through BDO- Pili:

Bank: Banco de Oro Pili Branch
Account name: Donjie B. Bendana
Acct. No. 3500040106.

I am humbly appealing for your help, without which, I cannot live for long.
Thank you very much.

Yours truly,

Donjie B. Bendana

A thought a day

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