9-month-old infant needs your help

It is a race against time for Mark Jairus Mendoza.

The nine-month-old infant suffers from biliary atresia and he needs a liver transplant next month before the liver disorder endangers his life.

His parents, Rolando and Lyden, need P3 million, an amount they cannot raise with their meager income. Mark’s father drives an FX taxi. His mother lost her job in a cigarette factory that closed down last year.

"He has to be operated on at the soonest possible time because, according to his doctor, his life would be in danger when he reaches 10 months old," Lyden told The STAR. "We appeal for assistance so that my son would live."

Bile, a fluid secreted by the liver, carries away the liver’s waste products and also helps break down fats in the small intestine.

Bile ducts within the liver collect the bile and carry it to the intestine. In biliary atresia, the bile ducts develop only partially or not at all. As a result, the bile accumulates in the liver.

Donations may be deposited with Equitable PCIBank, into Ronaldo Mendoza’s account, no. 1366-04398-1. His family may be contacted at this mobile phone no. 0919-8278318. — Sheila Crisostomo