Tonight we're going to introduce you to a 3-year-old boy who is urgently in need of help. His name is Malecai Hemsley and last year he was diagnosed with Acute Lymphopatic Leukemia, or cancer of the blood. Since October Malecai has been receiving chemotherapy in Merida and he is supposed to return for further treatment tomorrow but he won't. The problem is financial: Malecai's mom Shantai Obispo lost her job at Ready Call Center because she's been taking care of her son. She is now unemployed and the funding she had been getting from Friends of Pediatrics and her own family and friends has dried up. This evening she visited our studios with her ailing son and made a plea for help.
Shantai Obispo, Mother
"The treatment is not done and it is over with within one month or two months, it is something that will take a little while. The doctor told me that it will take at least two years for the treatment to go on and every two weeks we come back home and go back the following week so that he can follow up with the treatment and we can't miss an appointment."
Keith Swift,
When is the next appointment?
Shantai Obispo,
"Tomorrow. We were supposed to leave today but we didn't have any money to go. It is as urgent as urgent could be. I would just like to say to the public please help my son. He is in a very bad condition. As far as I am hearing that he can better but its very hard, it is something that we need to take care of as quickly as possible. I would really like help from anybody that could help. Anything that they could give would be appreciated."
Keith Swift,
What do you fear might happen if your son doesn't get this help?
Shantai Obispo,
"For the past few weeks, I won't say I have given up on my son but it is just hard on me because I am trying hard and I am not seeing the progress. He had started off good and everything and now this began to happen and like I am just about starting to give up."
Obispo says she needs about one thousand dollars for this trip. Malecia needs the chemotherapy about every two weeks. If you can help the family you can contact Malecai's mom at 601-1297.
