In a quiet hospital room in Abu Dhabi, a seven-year-old Filipino boy is fighting for his life.
His name is Andrey Hunter Limbaring—and time is not on his side.
The Philippine government has announced it will fully shoulder the air ambulance and medical expenses needed to bring Andrey to Taiwan for urgent brain surgery, offering hope to a family that has been living in fear for months.
The news was shared by Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac, who described seeing Andrey in the ICU as “extremely harrowing.”
Andrey has been confined to intensive care since December 5 last year. His condition has worsened. According to his father, Jean Lloyd, the tumor in his brainstem has robbed him of movement in his hands and feet. Even the simple acts—coughing, swallowing, speaking—have become difficult.
For any parent, it is a nightmare no words can soften.
Earlier this week, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos met with Andrey’s parents during President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s working visit to Abu Dhabi. That meeting became a turning point.
“Nothing can be more heartbreaking than seeing this poor child suffer,” Cacdac wrote on Facebook after personally visiting Andrey in the hospital.
“For every father who has held a seven-year-old child in his arms, the sight of Andrey is extremely harrowing.”
But amid the pain, action followed.
Cacdac said the DMW and OWWA will provide full financial coverage for Andrey’s air ambulance to Taiwan, as well as accommodation and other forms of support for the family.
“We join them in the fight to save their son’s life,” he said. “We storm heaven for Andrey’s full recovery.”
Andrey’s father, Jean Lloyd, is a sales representative for medical rehabilitation supplies—ironically, tools meant to help others heal. His mother, Ana Clariz, gave up her job as a food promoter years ago to care for Andrey, who has undergone treatments in Abu Dhabi, South Korea, and Spain.
They also have two other children—one 10 years old, the other just 11 months old.
Now, everything rests on the next step.
Once travel documents and hospital coordination are finalized, Andrey and his parents will be flown to Taipei Veterans General Hospital, where doctors are scheduled to perform the life-saving surgery by January 19. After that, Andrey is expected to undergo boron neutron capture therapy, a rare and high-risk treatment.
Jean Lloyd’s request is simple—and heavy with hope.
“I am asking people to pray for Andrey,” he said. “And I hope the process will be expedited.”
For now, the Limbaring family waits in Abu Dhabi—clinging to faith, strength, and the kindness of a nation that chose to step in when it mattered most.
This is not just a story about government assistance.
It is a story about compassion.
About urgency.
And about a little boy fighting to live.
