Norm Writes
  • Home
  • Who in the World
  • Blog
  • Postcards
  • Why I write

Your November 2017 Postcard From Norm - Sunshine for Liza Mae

10/27/2017

4 Comments

 
Picture
​Sunshine for Liza Mae
 
Please join me in sending love and best wishes to my little friend, Liza Mae.
 
For those of you who don’t know her, this smiling and spirited 10-year old girl from Cebu has been bravely fighting cancer.
 
Sadly, she’s now coming to the end of her fight.
 
I first came across her through the Everlasting Hope, an organization in Cebu that raises funds and manages care for poor kids with cancer. When they told me about Liza Mae, a little girl afflicted with a terrible tumor on her face, I wanted to help.
 
Her father long gone, only her mother was left to take care of Liza Mae when she first got sick and the tumor started growing. It grew alarmingly quickly, but still, there was no money to go to the hospital, or even for a simple doctor's visit.
Picture
So I posted some photos and told her story on Facebook and was amazed when donations started coming in, from people a world away that had never even been to the Philippines, as well as humble Filipino friends who were touched by her story.
 
Charlot, a young single mother who barely makes ends meet by working the night shift at a hotel, gave her entire week’s salary for Liza Mae.
 
 “Tell her to be strong; that someone is praying for her from far away; tell her to hold on tight and fight; that she needs to keep her hopes up. No matter what,” Charlot messaged me.
 
With our donations, Everlasting Hope was able to get her to the doctor, and then specialists, and finally to the hospital for blood transfusions and then the start of an eight-course chemotherapy treatment.

Picture
I even got to visit Liza Mae and her mother when I was in Cebu. They lived near the port among shantytowns, but they were even worse off, staying in a shack in the parking lot of a truck stop. They didn’t even have running water or a CR, and had to run outside – and pay a coin  - to use a neighbor’s facilities.
 
I wore a surgical mask to protect her from germs that could cause infection, although she lives amid squalor and flies. Liza Mae sat on her mother's lap. She was so skinny, a cotton swab taped to her hand from a recent IV, a hospital ID bracelet hanging from her emaciated wrist.

Picture
She was shy at first but soon warmed up, peeking a smile out from her mother’s embrace. I found out that Liza Mae is still like any other kid, despite her terrible condition, including a love of chicharron, ice cream, and Jollibee fried chicken.
 
Before I had to leave, she wanted to give me a high five and present me with some artwork that she’d colored.
 
It says, simply, "Salamat,” and is now my most cherished possession.
 
Over the next couple of months, we were cautiously optimistic as Liza Mae continued her chemotherapy and treatment. But, lately, it all became too much for her system, as her body couldn’t keep up with the constant infections and need for blood transfusions, all made worse by how weakened she was from chemo.
 
The realistic options for her care began to disappear, as did my hopes for a happy ending for Liza Mae.

Picture
I began receiving messaged like, “The tumor is really becoming bigger. Liza Mae for now is in their house. She was transfused one bag of blood and another bag was to be given, but she declined. She opted to just go home to see her family.”
 
And, “Liza Mae is such a fighter. Though we want her to see a pain specialist, she doesn't want to see any doctor anymore.”
 
“In spite of the condition, Liza Mae is happy now as her father arrived and is with her.”
 
“She mentioned she wants to go to a park to have a picnic. Weather here is rainy, hoping we can have sunshine within this week so we can do it.”

Picture
Right now, Liza Mae is at home among family, as comfortable as possible and waiting to go home.
 
It’s hard to accept, and I only wish there was more I could do to help her.
 
If nothing else, I want her to know that she’s loved by so many people.
 
 
I don’t want her to be scared, and I want her to know that she’s not alone.
 
Maybe we can help, after all.
 
Could you join me in wishing her well?
 
Please email me your regards, warm thoughts, and prayers for Liza Mae to hi@NormSchriever.com. You can even make a card or draw a picture, take a photo of it, and send it to me. I’ll make sure that she gets them all through the folks at Everlasting Hope and her mother.
 
From the bottom of my heart, thank you for caring, and let’s all hope for some sunshine for Liza Mae.

-Norm 

Picture
4 Comments

    RSS Feed


      Receive a digital postcard from Norm every month:

    Yes, I want a postcard!

    Don't miss Norm's new book,
    The Queens of Dragon Town!

    See More

    Norm Schriever

    Norm Schriever is a best-selling author, expat, cultural mad scientist, and enemy of the comfort zone. He travels the globe, telling the stories of the people he finds, and hopes to make the world a little bit better place with his words.   

    Norm is a professional blogger, digital marketer for smart brands around the world,  and writes for the Huffington Post, Hotels.com, and others.

    Check out South of Normal his Amazon.com best-selling book about life as an expat in Tamarindo, Costa Rica.

    Cambodia's School of Hope explores education and empowerment in impoverished Cambodia, with 100% of sales going to that school.

    The Book Marketing Bible provides 99 essential strategies for authors and marketers.

    Pushups in the Prayer Room, is a wild, irreverent memoir about a year backpacking around the world.  

    Follow Norm on Twitter @NormSchriever or email any time to say hi!

    Categories

    All
    Advice For Writers
    Amazon
    American Exceptionalism
    Anthropology
    Asia
    Backpack
    Basketball
    Best Seller Lists
    Blogging
    Book-marketing
    Book Review
    Book Reviews
    Cambodia
    Charity
    Child-poverty
    Cloud 9
    Communications
    Costa Rica
    Crazy-asia
    Culture
    Dumaguete
    Education
    Environment
    Ethics In Writing
    Expatriate
    Favorite Song
    Festivals
    Fraternity
    Funny
    Future
    Geography
    Give A Photo
    Giveaway
    Giving Back
    Health
    Heroes
    History
    Hugo Chavez
    Human Rights
    Humor
    India
    Islands
    Itunes
    Laugh
    Maps
    Marijuana
    Martial Arts
    Memoir
    Music
    Nature
    Nicaragua
    Non Violence
    Non-violence
    Ocean
    One Love
    One-love
    Our World
    Philanthropy
    Philippines
    Population
    Positive
    Positivity
    Postcard
    Poverty
    Pura Vida
    Pushups In The Prayer Room
    Race
    Reviews
    Safety
    San Juan Del Sur
    Science
    Screenplay
    Self Publish
    Siargao
    Social Media
    Southeast-asia
    South Of Normal
    Speech
    Sri Lanka
    Story
    Surf
    Surfing
    Tamarindo
    Thailand
    The Philippines
    The-queens-of-dragon-town
    Tourism
    Travel
    United Nations
    Venezuela
    Work From The Beach
    World Health
    Writers Forum
    Writing
    Writing Forum
    Writing Your First Book

    Archives

    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    April 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    November 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013

Norm Schriever

Email:     hi@NormSchriever.com