Mario and his wife, Janette, live and work in the community around our Tondo sponsor site in Manila, Philippines. The second of their three sons, Mario Jr, is blessed with a Chalice sponsor.

Several years ago, Mario Sr started feeling numb in his right extremities. He went to several doctors, but none ever seemed to offer the treatment Mario needed.

“It had been more than three years that we had been moving from one doctor to the other,” writes Janette of that time. “Each one diagnosed my husband as [having had a] stroke. He was given medicines for the brain but to no avail.”

It was a grim time for the family. Janette says she and Mario “forced ourselves to go to work despite the carrying the worries and burden of the trial we are facing. Our only thought is the future of our three children.”

“It came to a point when we lost our hope. We couldn’t go to work, and we did not attend [Chalice family circle] meetings anymore. We thought of voluntarily exiting from the sponsorship and it was [then that] the site director learned of our situation.”

Once Tondo’s site director Eunice learned that Mario needed support to recover, she flew into action. They arranged for Mario to undergo a CT scan and MRI of his cervical spine. Through the MRI results, a team of specialists diagnosed Mario Sr with a tumour in the interconnecting cells of his spinal cord. 

Mario Sr needed surgery at once to remove the tumor tissue. This also involved removing part of the bone on three of Mario’s vertebrae. If left untreated, Mario would be paralyzed.

But the surgeon’s estimate for Mario’s procedure was more than Janette could earn in three years at her current wages. So, Eunice applied for financial aid through Chalice’s Critical Needs program. Generous donors came through for Mario in his time of urgent need.

“We are very grateful to Chalice for making the surgery of my husband possible,” Janette writes.

The Tondo site staff journeyed with them through the procedure and his road to recovery.

“From the check-up up to the surgery, the site did not leave us alone,” Janette recounts. “Even now that we are home, the site sends the physiotherapist to give the necessary exercises and therapy to my husband.”

Janette says the physio is helping, and she and her sons have learned to help Mario do his exercises at home, too. "Mario has shown quite an improvement already.”

“This is such an enormous blessing to be part of Chalice. Our heartfelt gratitude to Chalice.”