Mama Lanie, or Lanie Fajardo-Catacte, is not the kind of mom who tells you she's hurting. She's the kind who quietly tends to everyone else, making sure her family is cared for, even when she herself is struggling. She expresses her love not in words, but in the countless small ways she shows up, day after day, for the people she loves.

Before she got sick, Mama was faithfully caring for her husband, who has been a dialysis patient for four years. Frail as their situation was, she never complained.

She almost didn't tell us something was wrong.

That's just who she is. Since late last year into early this year, she had been dealing with a recurring UTI. She took antibiotics, but it kept coming back. Then on March 4, she had chills. We brought her to the ER, but she was sent home when the chills subsided. By around 8PM that same day, we had to rush her back. Her blood pressure had dropped to 60/40. Her sugar was nearly 300. She was so weak, but she was conscious the whole time, fighting.

We later learned she had gone into septic shock. E. coli was found in her bloodstream. She battled sepsis through that first brutal week, and just as we thought she was turning the corner, we found out she had also suffered a hemorrhagic stroke at the height of her battle. She drifted in and out of consciousness for weeks. She spent over 30 days in the ICU, and 45 days in the hospital in total.

The day she mouthed her first word back — "uhaw," thirsty — we knew Mama was still in there, fighting.

Mama came home on April 18. But the fight is not over.

Right now, recovery is full-time. We are still spending a lot on:

- Her daily medication and medical supplies

- Physical therapy sessions

- Regular consultations with her doctors

- A caregiver who helps us look after her around the clock

- An upcoming mini-operation to replace her tracheostomy tube and begin decannulation — a step that brings her closer to talking, eating, and breathing on her own again

- The remaining balance on her Davao Doctors Hospital bill, which is over ₱2 million

Papa is a pensioner and a dialysis patient himself. He depends on Mama just as much as she depended on him. The three siblings take shifts caring for her, sometimes missing work, but grateful for employers who understand. We have taken out loans. Family and friends have pooled together whatever they could. Our extended families have all stepped in. We have exhausted every means we could, and we are so grateful for every bit of help we've received from the people around us. We are holding on to the hope that yours can help bring Mama all the way back to her feet.​

We are reaching out to everyone we can, with a humble heart and an open hand.

Every peso matters. Whether it is ₱50 or ₱50,000, every amount brings us closer to clearing Mama's bill and keeping her recovery on track.

And if you are not in a position to give financially, we humbly ask for one thing:

🙏 Please keep Lanie Fajardo-Catacte in your prayers.

Share this campaign with your friends, your family, your coworkers, because someone in your circle might know someone who can help. That is how miracles happen.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. ❤️

📷 Photos: Mama Lanie at the ER on the night she was rushed in, in the ICU surrounded by her family, and a photo of her during Christmas — a reminder of the woman we are fighting to bring back home.