Don't Despair, Just Do It

Hi again guys! We went for check up yesterday and my platelet was 7,000 over 150,000 and my hemoglobin was 7.4 over 12-15. I don't have active bleeding, thanks to God. I know He is truly hearing all your prayers for me. Thank you very much for all your concern. 😊

I stopped cyclosporine as the doctor said when He gave me antibiotics since as I said in my past posts, I had cough and cold. We went there for check-up yesterday but they said he was on vacation. We only went to the hospital's support clinic for prescription of Revolade, folic acid, prednisolon and cyclosporine. The doctor aslo gave us request for Complete Blood Count (CBC) and that's why I knew what my counts were. I am still ok with 7.4 though I feel my heart beat fast when I walk even just in the house or even when I need to pee. It feels like the oxygen isn't enough to go up to my brain and it is a little bit of a struggle so I just need to sit down, lie down or just be at rest.

Anyway guys, I just want to remind you that I'm not paraliyzed. I am just weak and weaker than how I was back then but I can still read and I usually read the Bible (the daily reading) or like now, I'm reading Acts. I also have testimonies of Catalina Rivas about the Holy Mass and her other booklet entitled In Adoration. It fills me with hope and reminds me how I live in agod's mercy through all the help and love I get from all of you, our friends, out there.

Besides reading, I am also writing some of my thoughts in a notebook or sometimes. I also love watchi movies when my sister comes home from school and doesn't have any homework or project to do. Sometimes, I also wait for my dad to come home from work and then we can watch horror movies with him. Right now, I'm listening to mom's favorite old songs. I prefer listening to her songs because they're more relaxing than songs from thsi generation. But of course, that's just from my point of view. We all have different tastes.

I also surf the internet for some moments in time. Aside from talking to friends, I am usually on facebook, reposting and sharing the things we sell on our online shop when I'm not talking to friends and looking at the latest posts in Aplastic Anemia support groups online. At least, I can use my time wisely because it also helps add to the fund even if I only have a little profit from it. P50-P500 a week is our usual profit. I said "our" because my brother and his girlfriend helps me with the transactions and getting the supplies from suppliers when it is needed. They don't even ask me for salary lol and told me all will be added to my fund for treatment. There is not much of a profit from it but this is my outlet.

Well, it doesn't hurt since I just lie here in the sofa while listening to mommy's music then just post or share. It also gives me the chance to talk to other people when someone orders. It's refreshing for me when I talk to people who doesn't know that I have this illness of my bone marrow not working at all. It is also an outlet for me because I like art so when I edit pictures for my page, it serves as my outlet.

Our online shop makes me feel like I can still do something. Others lead to depression when they don't have an outlet like this. Don't get me wrong but when you are ill and you don't have an outlet like my online shop or like the things I do, you lose it. It will you feel more that you are a burden to others. It will stress you out and will make you feel down and depressed and that's not good. It won't help in any situation.

I hope others understand this. I am 27 and I am undergraduate since my body couldn't tolerate the stress of school. I have always been dependent and seeing my classmates back then already having their own families and living their own lives while I lie here helpless makes me feel left behind. But God is truly good because He gave me ways to feel that I am not left behind. All praises to Him! ❤️❤️❤️

It's also just a matter of knowing your limitations or knowing when to rest. If I feel tired already (even if I was just there clicking to repost or share) I just go to sleep immediately. Lingering on social media or internet is also not good that's why I also have time to read books and the things I read is also my way of prayer. It helps me a lot. The emptiness I feel is filled and the outlook I have becomes positive. In the end, these things I do help me not to focus on my illness and that's good thing. 

If you want to visit our online page, just click here: http://www.facebook.com/trendsavenuephilippines.

Help us in raising funds for my treatment. 3-4 million Philippines pesos is no joke. Thank you for all  who already extended their helping hands. God is already aware of all of you and I am also forever grateful to all of your donations and prayers.

I am still asking for your help in prayers and for financial help, also.

Here is the link for gofundme.com for any donation to raise 3-4 million Philippine pesos:

https://www.gofundme.com/uud7ukr7

My bank account in the Philippines is:

Bank of the Philippine Islands

San Lazaro, Manila

Account #: 9769-1401-71

Account name: Karen Claire Celestino

For blood donations because of my frequent transfusions, please comment below or email me @ karen_608@yahoo.com or text 09273618598. If you are experienced already and is willing to donate, please go to University of Sto. Tomas Hospital blood bank and register your donation under my name Karen Claire Celestino. Aside from financial loans, we also have blood loans and we need to replace the bags I have used. I still need 10 and more people just to fill it in so when I go back to the Philippines and need transfusion again especially after our flight, we would be given blood. Please do help me in this, too.

Thank you for giving a little of your time to read and share this post. Thank you for all donations and prayers. With all of you, my hope to live a longer life is lit up.

God bless all of us! 😊❤️👍😍🙏😇

I Miss Baking

I was only a beginner at baking. I even baked and offered it to others at the lowest price, even though I didn't have enough pay for the labor I put into it especially washing the equipment lol but I was enjoying it back then and it was what mattered to me. My costumers didn't complain though I admit that I wasn't as good as others. They were satisfied with what I gave them.

I just visited my online shop back then called "My slice of Dessert". I want to thank my costumers back then though I know they won't be able to read this anymore.

Since my body got weaker and I easily get tired and I had bleeding especially when I knead dough or fondant for an order or baking for our snacks, I stopped baking. I miss learning new things and practicing and getting better at it in a way but I have to let it go. Anyway, I can still make refrigerated cakes with the help of family or friends but right now, I haven't made anything again.

Here are some of the cakes I enjoyed baking. 

Oh, sweet memories! 😊

Your Kind hearts Make Me Hopeful

For the past weeks, I had cough and colds. My doctor changed my antibiotic from tavanic to azithromycine. I stopped cyclosporine for the moment. I don't have colds anymore but I still have cough but Maybe it's because of the change of weather every now and then. I just take strepsils because sometimes, I can't stop coughing and strepsils help relieve it.

I have continuous bleeding. I had CBC last week and the result is:

Platelets - 5

Hemoglobin - 8

I didn't need transfusion since I wasn't having profuse bleeding. Just a little gum bleeding and also spotting. I still get tired easily and just stay at home most of the times. I can't even do the groceries with my mom anymore because I easily get tired. It's a lot better now with my mom since now she understands that I always feel tired and it's not because I am being lazy.

I've had a discussion in an online aplastic anemia group about how they felt when people misunderstand what Aplastic Anemia is, and it really is hard to explain especially with their misconceptions about AA. It will really take time to understand what this illness is but we don't have to explain it to everyone or make everyone understand because those who care will take their time to understand this to be able to understand us and those who just wants to help but don't have the time to know what AA is, it's really up to them because not everyone has the time to understand everybody, right? At least, they have the heart to give their help and reach out to thise who are need.

Anyway, the simplest explanation is that Aplastic anemia is Bone Marrow (Organ) Failure (pancytopenia). I will post cartoons that may help others understand AA and hope it may help us raise awareness about my illness.

Have been praying a lot more lately and received a lot of help from people here in Jeddah with very good and generous hearts. Thank you very much for all the prayers and financial help. I couldn't help but thank God for everything everyday and every moment because in His goodness, many people are willing to help us raise funds for my treatment.

I am still asking for your help in prayers and for financial help, also.

Here is the link for gofundme.com for any donation to raise 3-4 million Philippine pesos:

https://www.gofundme.com/uud7ukr7

My bank account in the Philippines is:

Bank of the Philippine Islands

San Lazaro, Manila

Account #: 9769-1401-71

Account name: Karen Claire Celestino

For blood donations because of my frequent transfusions, please comment below or email me @ karen_608@yahoo.com or text 09273618598. If you are experienced already and is willing to donate, please go to University of Sto. Tomas Hospital blood bank and register your donation under my name Karen Claire Celestino. Aside from financial loans, we also have blood loans and we need to replace the bags I have used. I still need 10 and more people just to fill it in so when I go back to the Philippines and need transfusion again especially after our flight, we would be given blood. Please do help me in this, too.

Thank you for giving a little of your time to read and share this post. Thank you for all donations and prayers. With all of you, my hope to live a longer life is lit up.

All is for God's greater glory! 😊 Please do share this so more people will be aware of this rare and fatal illness called Aplastic Anemia aka Bone Marrow Failure. God bless us all!

Cough and Colds and GoFundMe Update

It got cold here in Jeddah and maybe because of the sudden change of climate, I got cough and colds right now and experienced chills. My gum bleeding doesn't stop even if I am religiously taking tranexamic acid. I asked my mom so we could go to the hospital for a checkup so I could be prescribed something for my cough because i don't want it to worsen especially, I am prone to bleeding. So we went to Fakeeh Hospital and Dr. Tarek prescribed me Tavanic 500 mg once a day, Clarinase 5mg/120mg twice a day, and kafosed syrup 10mL 3x a day. He advised me to stop Ciclosporine while taking Tavanic. It's a week off cyclosporine and I feel like it's vacation from meds even though I still have other meds to take. 😊 

Anyway, today is day 9 since my account in gofundme has been created by my parents' friend Tito Ronnie. It raised $1,065.00 already over our target of $55,000.00. We are raising this much because of my meds, hospitalizations with Blood and platelet transfusions and labs, professional fee for doctors, and the ATG procedure which costs about $8,500.00 per shot converted from Philippine pesos according to my hematologist in the Philippines. They said it will take about 5 shots. 

To all those who have donated, here is an update on my online fundraising for my medical financial needs when I get back home to the Philippines. (see pic below)

Also, I received P3,500.00 in my BPI acct and also 2 envelopes from mom's friends. Thank you very much for these and also for all encouraging words and prayers, which fill me with hope and drown away my fears. Another family friend also proposed a fundraising using her delicious cakes, cupcakes and lollicakes and we're still talking about it. Thank you for sharing all your blessings with me.

God is so good that He provided me with people who are willing to give and pray in unity. He is so good, He provided me with good-hearted people like you to help me. Loving friends and family who have hearts of gold. Your good hearts remind me of my own family who loved me then and will always do. I want to share about them.

I grew up with a family who took care of me very well. My grandparents mamang and papang and my mom's youngest brother, Tito Rey are the ones I lived with until I finished highschool. They spoiled me with with their love. I love all of them and I dream that one day, I will be able to make them feel the same way they made feel. They made me feel pampered and protected me and always thought the best for me. Though they over protected me, I knew it was because they loved me so much.

My mom's siblings who always gave me financial and emotional support, I'm also so blessed to have them - my tito Edwin and Tita Anabelle. Whenever, we couldn't handle the bills, they are always the first ones to help.

I remember when I was young, I played with my tita abel's makeup (that's what we call her) and when I went to my tito Edwin's store full of cute stationary items and school supplies, he lets me take what I want and lets me play there. I was a happy kid. Back then, everyone knows I was weak and sickly but we didn't know that my bone marrow wasn't producing red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets. I lived a life in and out of the hospital but I know now there's a reason behind it.

Then my tita Anabelle got married so I stopped seeing her often but that was when I was younger because now, I also get to spend time with her to the mall or just look at bags together and talk about which is prettier. I get to walk arm in arm with her in the mall and she may not know it, but it makes me feel so loved. When she gave birth to my cousin, Tom, I knew I was given another brother because that's how I feel about him. Not just a cousin but my younger brother. When I have things I can't talk to my brother with, he listens to me and he also shares with me a love for books and coffee shops and conversations about the Bible and what he has learned from school. I like his company. 😊 On the other hand, I am not very close with my tita's husband, tito Franz, because I feel shy around him but I can see and feel his worries for me, too especially when I get hospitalized again. And they, as a family, are always willing to extend their helping hands for me, may it be in prayers, financial or emotional aspects.

Then, my mom's eldest brother, tito Edwin got married, too and he married a very sweet lady. She has moods but that's okay since I'm like her in that way. They both listen to my problems and also gave me whatever I needed that they could provide, may it be financial or moral support. I love Tita Ruby like how I loved our growing family. She is also a big part of my life. They both are and i love them both. They share my dreams and encourage me to be strong and assure me that they will be with me in fulfilling them.When I get treated successfully, I want to make them proud of me, that's one of my dreams.

And after a few more years, my tito Rey got married. He may not know it but I was attached to him like he was my father so when he married, it was a bit hard to accept hehe I was a kid and was truly very selfish but in time, I got to accept it especially when tita Marie gave birth to my cousins Jianne, Dicel, and Marielle. Our family grew bigger and this is the family together with my mom, dad, and my siblings Olac and Ishzi who I am truly blessed to have. They always gave me something but I haven't returned any favor yet and I ask God to let me stay or win against this disease for them.

These are the people who makes me want to fight for my life against Aplastic Anemia. I want to fulfill my dreams with them and for them. And to all of you, you also became part of my life and I'm grateful to God because I can still continue to hope that these dreams may come true. I also have other dreams like establish a shop with a cause so I may be able to help others or teach kids and youth about God especially in the remote areas in provinces. I want to help others, too, when I am already able to, especially children. I have a lot of dreams which I want to fulfill, and with your help I can make them come true one by one. With your help, I am also given the hope that I may also help others.

Here is the link to my account in gofundme.com to help us cover my ATG procedure. Please click below: https://www.gofundme.com/uud7ukr7

And for those who want to donate and help me, here is my BPI bank account:

San Lazaro Manila Branch

Acct # 009769-1401-71

Acct name: Karen Claire Celestino

Also, I am in need of blood donors, please text 09273168598 for info. Or for experienced blood donors, please go to University of Sto. Thomas Hospital Blood Bank and register your blood donation under my name (same as above) Karen Claire Celestino. I really need your blood donations, too.

Your prayers will also be of great help to me, because I believe God will listen to us who pray in unity for an intention. Take Care and God bless!