Advertiser Christmas Fund
Ailing son left family buried in bills

By Rod Ohira
Advertiser Staff Writer

But their comfortable life on Guam took a sudden turn for the worse in mid-February of this year when their 6-year-old son, "C.V.," became ill. "The doctors on Guam didn't know what was wrong," said 32-year-old R.V., a pastry chef who had a successful side business in automotive design. "He had swelling in his saliva glands, abdominal inflammation and was always tired."

G.V., 31, and her husband were prevented from bringing the boy to doctors in Honolulu .

"In order to do it, we needed a doctor's referral for insurance purposes, and they wouldn't give us one," R.V. said. "We fought it for a month-and-a half."

A referral was quickly granted, however, when the boy suffered kidney failure. Accompanied by an attending nurse, whose round-trip ticket they had to pay for, R.V. and G.V. brought their son to Honolulu on Easter Sunday. Three hours after they arrived here, doctors told them their son had acute lymphatic leukemia.

	How to make a donation
•	Checks made payable to The Advertiser Christmas Fund should be mailed to
	Helping Hands Hawai'i
	P.O. Box 19155
	Honolulu, HI 96817
•	Donations may also be dropped off at any First Hawaiian Bank branch.
•	Anyone wishing to donate goods instead of money can do so at the Community Clearinghouse at 2100 N. Nimitz Highway near Pu'uhale Street. For details, call 536-7234.

"I cannot tell you what this kind of thing does to a family," R.V. said. "Our whole life was turned upside down.

"There were a lot of times I felt like giving up. But seeing what my son was going through — everything from extreme mouth sores to vomiting blood to not being able to walk — gave me strength. It's unbelievable that he's normal now and learning to walk again. For him, it's like nothing happened."

The family moved out of the McDonald House and into a one-bedroom apartment in late October. The boy is attending school and learning to write again, his father said.

R.V. has a job here and will earn about $40,000 this year.

"We had to sell everything we had on Guam," G.V. said. "We've drained our savings and our credit card is maxed out."

The young couple want to get back on their feet and pay their bills. But G.V., who had an accounting job in Guam, has been unable to find work here.

"It's very hard because there are so few jobs available," she said. "A job for me is what we need most."

Any school supplies and household items, such as linens, towels and dishes, would be welcomed.

A couple of beds and a small table, too, are needed because the family is sleeping on an old pull-out couch bed and eating on the floor.

Eventually, they would like to move into a two-bedroom apartment or small cottage in lower Manoa to be close to their son's school.

Recent donations

In loving memory of Florence Monasterolo $100
In memory of David and Billy Gibson Garliepp $25\
George B. Drummond $10
Shirley L. Neid $20
Helen T. Nakamura $25
Michele A. Ferguson $25
Gilbert L. Robichaud $25
James A. Young $30
Virginia L. Medeiros $30
Lynn R. Rogers $50
Victoria A. Mayo $50
Betty and Bill Fiddler $100
Leah Elaine Gold $100
Don Yanaga $100
Esther M. Stubblefield $200
Anonymous $25
Anonymous $200

Total $1,115
Previous total $7,665
Total to date $8,780