PUBLISHED ONJune 04, 2024 5:26 AMByBhavya RawatAfter finding out that her helper's daughter was in a coma, a TikToker rallied her followers to raise funds for her medical expenses.
Andreana Tay, 29, posted a video on her social media platforms including TikTok and Instagram on Saturday (June 2) requesting donations from the public for her maid's daughter, Angel, who had fallen into coma due to an aneurysm.
Although the fundraiser went on to surpass its goal - raising 1.45 million pesos (S$33,300) in a day - Angel was taken off life support the next day (June 3) after doctors said they could not do anything to help her.
The 20-year-old nursing student in the Philippines had been complaining to her mother of constant headaches in the past few days.
[embed]https://www.tiktok.com/@andreanaanna/video/7375737217618070801[/embed]
Speaking to AsiaOne, Tay said that on May 31, Angel threw up and fainted. She was diagnosed with an aneurysm and put on life support when taken to the hospital.
An aneurysm is a bulging blood vessel that, if burst, can lead to death.
Upon hearing the news, Tay and her family arranged for their helper to return to the Philippines on an emergency flight on June 1.
The helper has been looking after Tay's family, including her sister who has autism, for 11 years.
The family had initially helped to pay for Angel's medical bills, but the expenses started to build and got overwhelming.
Tay then decided to rally her followers to raise funds for Angel through a campaign.
"In an effort to alleviate some of this financial strain, we have launched a fundraising campaign to raise funds for her daughter's medical bills," she said.
In an update posted the next day, Tay informed her followers that her helper had reached the Philippines and that the fundraising campaign had exceeded the 1 million pesos goal.
However, Angel had already died after being taken off life support earlier that day (June 3).
Tay thanked everyone for their help and added that all proceeds from the fundraising campaign will still be given to the helper to settle outstanding medical bills.
[embed]https://www.tiktok.com/@andreanaanna/video/7376133358461521153[/embed]
"Let this be a reminder to cherish the people around you and even the smallest 'I love you' or "goodbye" to your loved ones would mean a lot," she said.
Tay told AsiaOne that as of now, it has been decided that her helper will stay in the Philippines until June 22.
She also said that she is currently facing issues with withdrawing the donations from fundraising site Give.Asia and has yet to receive any response from the platform.
Responding to AsiaOne's queries, a spokesperson from Give.Asia said that the team has been actively assisting Tay with her campaign, which was created on June 1.
The team complied with Tay's request to terminate the campaign after being contacted by her on Monday (June 3).
Her enquiry about the campaign payout was also acknowledged and forwarded to Give.Asia's operation team on the same day.
As of Tuesday afternoon, detailed payout instructions have been provided to Tay, said the spokesperson.
"We acknowledge the importance of the matter and Ms Tay's eagerness to transfer the donation payment. Upon receiving and validating the payout request, our team will typically dispatch the donation funds within one week," she added.
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bhavya.rawat@asiaone.com
