3-Month Old Baby In Need of Liver Transplant. Join the “Hope For Coby” Movement to Help Save Coby’s Life. #CobyStrong
I’d like to share this with you in the hope to reach as many people as possible who can help save Coby’s life. I’d appreciate it if you share this to your social media outlets as you and your friends may know other good people who are willing to help. Thank you so much in advance! =)
Hope for Coby (also known as #CobyStrong) is a growing movement started by the family of Craig Jacob “Coby” Araos-Castillo. Coby is a three-month old baby diagnosed with severe neonatal hepatitis. Coby was rushed to the hospital on January 2, 2014 due to constant vomiting and unusual enlargement of the stomach.
Early prognosis revealed that he had chronic liver failure and must be confined in the ICU indefinitely. After a battery of tests which lasted for days, the doctors gathered the family on January 4 to announce that Coby’s lab results were “incompatible with life.” Immediately, the family went into a mourning period for Coby. But the next day, the family woke up with a new resolve and decided that it was time to take action.
The Facebook page “Hope For Coby” (https://www.facebook.com/HopeForCoby), was started on January 6; originally as a means to update family and friends as to how Coby’s doing and to get moral support from the community. In the span of 48 hours, the page was able to gain more than 1,000 followers as Coby’s story managed to touch the hearts of many. Hearing about the significant drain on the resources that the family has been undertaking at this point, friends began to independently initiate fund raising campaigns to help Coby’s family.
As of this writing, while Coby’s life remains threatened by the inability of his liver to function properly, he is stable enough to be discharged from the hospital. The doctors have recommended that he seek experienced specialists abroad. A liver transplant remains to be the only viable option for Coby.
The family is now busy narrowing down the number of referrals (most of them coming from the followers) and raising the necessary funds for the procedure. Early estimates indicate that the amount the family needs to raise is in the millions of pesos, and while that figure is indeed daunting, the family refuses to lose hope.
Parties interested in helping, find Coby on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HopeForCoby
