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NewsTranscript
00:00Forty days before the election of 2025,
00:03together with the platforms of some of the candidates,
00:06the country's healthcare system is getting better.
00:08It's a big thing for many patients,
00:10including children, who don't have enough funds for medication.
00:14Even though they don't have a voice in the election,
00:16they have a small wish for the next leaders.
00:20This is the second part of the Voice of the Children series
00:23in the special report of Darlene Cai.
00:30Every morning is a miracle for Zoe's child.
00:41For someone like her who has leukemia or blood cancer,
00:44tomorrow is not certain.
00:47Are you okay?
00:54Are you okay?
00:59How does it hurt?
01:01There are many days like this,
01:04when Zoe feels weak, so it's hard for her to get up.
01:07Maybe it's just now, ma'am,
01:09because she has a lump in her chest.
01:16It's a good thing, ma'am, that she's not,
01:18sometimes she's just chilling,
01:20Mommy, it's cold, Mommy, it's cold.
01:25Zoe is only four years old,
01:27but it could be more difficult for her
01:29than for many of us,
01:30the cross she's going through.
01:32Cook it again, cook it again.
01:34She's been fighting leukemia for two years now.
01:37She feels the bad symptoms,
01:40like bleeding,
01:42weakness,
01:43and the lack of will to do anything.
01:48Until she lost her hair
01:50when she went into chemotherapy.
01:52The medical procedures are slow,
01:55and she can no longer count the hours
01:57she spends in the hospital.
02:03But despite everything,
02:05Zoe remains happy and positive.
02:09Diane, I'm sorry.
02:12How are you now?
02:14How are you feeling?
02:16I'm okay, ma'am.
02:19At her young age,
02:20she is aware of the reality of her situation.
02:23What do you do at AUM?
02:26I inject blood, ma'am.
02:29Me too, ma'am.
02:31Where do you inject?
02:33Does it hurt?
02:35No, ma'am.
02:37But there are days when she really loses her feelings,
02:41especially when she's thinking,
02:43she still doesn't understand
02:45why she needs to go through this.
02:48I lost my hair.
02:51I lost my hair.
02:53I lost my hair.
02:55I don't know how to wear my wig.
02:58I don't know how to wear my wig.
03:00I don't know how to wear my wig.
03:05I don't know how to wear my wig.
03:08I shouldn't have done it last night.
03:14I don't know what to think, Lord.
03:19I gave everything I had.
03:22Why did this happen to my child?
03:24We are not bad people.
03:27There are many who run away.
03:30I surrendered everything to the Lord.
03:36Zoe's routine.
03:37Home, hospital.
03:39Home, hospital.
03:41They spend up to Php100,000 a month in the hospital.
03:46She still doesn't have her medicine and other necessities.
03:49That's why her mom, Elaine, who is a single mother, is always in trouble.
03:53She even had to resign from her job to take care of her child.
03:58Of course, ma'am, look at me.
04:00It's cancer.
04:01What will happen to my child?
04:04That's why I said, Lord,
04:06I said, Lord,
04:08please don't abandon my child.
04:10I said, because she's still young, ma'am.
04:15She's going through that.
04:20Her income comes from selling products and vlogging.
04:24If Zoe continues to fight,
04:27what is her reason for giving up?
04:36She wants to get better.
04:38She herself will ask me,
04:41Ma'am, are we going to the hospital?
04:44She's brave.
04:45As a mother, I also become brave because I see my child fighting.
04:53When Zoe had an emergency,
04:56they were in the public hospital for 8 hours.
04:59But they were still not admitted.
05:02You will die, ma'am.
05:05You will die because you don't have money.
05:09PhilHealth is still covering their medical bills.
05:13That's why they approached various agencies like DSWD, PCSO, and LGU
05:19to ask for financial assistance.
05:21But the number one problem of children with cancer
05:25is the treatment based on the experience of an organization that helps them.
05:29Bahay Aruga is an organization that provides free treatment
05:33for children with cancer and their families
05:36who travel to Manila for treatment.
05:39Patients are given abandoned treatment.
05:43It means that they are sent back to the province
05:46and they are just waiting for the right time to receive treatment.
05:49That's why Bahay Aruga was formed.
05:51They also provide financial assistance to patients
05:54and a living program for their parents.
05:57Cancer treatment is difficult, long, and expensive.
06:02Hospitals are full of problems
06:04and there is a lack of specialists for patients with cancer.
06:08Cancer treatment is very expensive.
06:12It can cost up to a million pesos.
06:14I can't blame the government
06:17for accommodating so many patients.
06:19There is an allotted amount per patient.
06:24So if you already exited your request,
06:27you can't be given again.
06:30That's the problem for parents.
06:33Where else can they ask for help?
06:37Not all 5,000 children are diagnosed with cancer every year
06:42according to Aruga sa Batang May Cancer and UP Open University.
06:46Most of them are already in the advanced stage.
06:49Aside from cancer, Filipino children have other health problems.
06:54According to UNICEF,
06:562 million Filipino children are severely food-poor.
07:02That's why malnutrition is a problem
07:05and many children are suffering from it.
07:08I really want them to strengthen our healthcare.
07:15I hope they continue to support us.
07:18I hope their care and empathy is there for the patients.
07:25I hope their willingness to help is there.
07:30Not just for now.
07:35In fact, the government has programs
07:38to help children with cancer.
07:41Financial assistance, free check-ups,
07:45and education for those who want to become health workers.
07:49But it's also true that the trials of people like Zoe
07:54are waiting to be seen by a doctor.
07:57The country's health care system is really lacking.
08:06Zoe hasn't been able to vote in the upcoming election.
08:09So she's hoping that we'll be able to choose the right candidates.
08:14She hopes that the people who will be sitting next to her
08:18will help her fulfill her little wish.
08:21I want to be a doctor.
08:26Why do you want to be a doctor, Zoe?
08:29So I can help the children.
08:34Say that again.
08:35So I can help the children.
08:39For that to happen, she needs good health.
08:43So that before the end of each day,
08:46she doesn't have to ask how many more days will come.
08:56This is the first news.
08:59Darlene Cai for GMA Integrated News.
09:06Aside from Zoe, there are many children with cancer who need help.
09:10In Bahay Arunga, there are 20 children with cancer from different provinces
09:14who are currently receiving treatment in Metro Manila.
09:17They need our help.
09:24Don't miss the latest news and updates.
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09:40For more stories, visit nyseagrant.org