For Founder Sonny Bustamante, the Little Ark Foundation is a personal advocacy. It was founded from the challenges he and his family faced while watching their young son undergo various medical procedures, including a bone marrow transplant. The foundation was built on the hope and humanity they experienced during his son’s journey to recovery.

In 2014, Sonny’s youngest son, Noah, who was just 3 years old, was diagnosed with thrombocytopenia. At 5, he was diagnosed with aplastic anemia, and just a year later, he experienced bone marrow failure, requiring a transplant as his condition worsened. It felt like a bottomless pit of heartache for Sonny, who was building a steady career as a resident of New Jersey with his family.

But then, an anonymous donor stepped forward, and soon after, Noah underwent a successful bone marrow transplant in 2019. With Noah’s full recovery, Sonny’s faith in humanity grew even stronger.

Despite the early circumstances, Sonny knew from the start that Noah had a good chance of surviving in the States. Meanwhile, while Noah was going through all of this, two families in the Philippines reached out to Sonny after seeing his post on social media, asking for financial help. The two children had the same exact diagnosis as Noah: aplastic anemia, a diagnosis in the Philippines that no parent ever wants to hear.

After learning of the passing of the two children, who were the same age and had the same diagnosis with Noah, Sonny reflected on their harrowing experience. He couldn’t help but wonder how Noah’s situation might have been different if they didn’t have the resources in the U.S. to go through their struggle.

Sonny began researching similar cases in the Philippines and discovered many tragic outcomes, primarily due to poverty and limited access to proper medical care. This realization inspired him to take action and drive change. In 2021, Sonny founded the Little Ark Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting underprivileged children with cancer and other critical illnesses. The foundation was registered as a 501(c)(3) in California, USA and with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in the Philippines.

The Little Ark Foundation believes that every child with cancer or other critical illnesses, regardless of social status or location, should have access to proper medical care. With your help and generosity, the Foundation can go a long way in supporting more patients from underprivileged families. With your donations, Little Ark can carry more children and guide them on a safe and happy journey home with their families.