He united Pinoys in UAE: Filipino boy with leukemia dies

A leukemia-stricken Filipino boy who made headlines in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) earlier this year for his determination to live succumbed to his condition Wednesday. Online news site Khaleej Times (www.khaleejtimes.com) reported Saturday that six-year-old Erriszel “Erryl" Cortez died in Manila following a bone marrow transplant in Italy last June. July Marimla, a family friend, said Erryl was flown back to the Philippines when his medical condition continued to deteriorate even after the operation. Marimla said Erryl’s grandfather Rene Bueno called him to confirm that the boy had passed away at the St Luke’s Medical Center in Quezon City. “All the members of their family are currently in the Philippines to pay their last respects for Erryl," Marimla said. Erryl’s remains were brought to Angeles City, Pampanga. He said that until the end, Erryl attempted to keep his faith strong. “I was told that he tried to fight for his life up to the last few minutes," he said. Erryl’s strong determination to live inspired hundreds of Filipinos in the UAE to join a charity motorcade last May 25 to raise funds for his medical treatment abroad. Other concerned UAE residents also extended their hands to support his cause. His story was featured in the local media. Moises Dacuycuy, president of the Filipino Off-Road Auto Club (FORAC), which organized the charity motorcade, said they were saddened by the news of Erryl’s death. “We’ve been in touch with the boy’s family since he was brought to Italy to undergo operation in June. Unfortunately, his body had rejected the bone marrow transplanted on him," said Dacuycuy. Dacuycuy added that a member of the club, Liza Concepcion, who is in the Philippines, will visit the Cortez family in Angeles, Pampanga where Erryl’s remains lie. He said Erryl had become instrumental in bringing the UAE community together. “He (Erryl) has managed to gather all of us for a worthy cause. He has awakened in us the spirit of unity which we sometimes fail to realize because we often get caught up with our busy schedules," he said. Last March, the boy’s family made a desperate public plea to help them raise the much-needed Dh1million (P12.348 million) for his bone marrow transplant. In an earlier interview with Khaleej Times, Erryl’s mother Emilyn said her child was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia on Dec. 29, 2005, just four months after arriving from the Philippines to live with them in the UAE. He had been confined at the Tawam Hospital in Al Ain where he underwent chemotherapy. - GMANews.TV