My Gardenia In Bloom

It showed its face slowly

And I can’t wait

For the petals to unfurl

But I can smell

The sweet scent from here.

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It’s World Cancer Day

Today February 4 is World Cancer Day.

It is not really a celebration but to raise awareness to those who only know it as a word. Let us pray for all those who died of cancer, suffering from it and those who are survivors like I am.

Back in 2003, my eldest brother Royden had undergone surgical operation, chemotherapy and radiation because of colo-rectal cancer. I had sigmoid surgery in 2009 followed by six cycles of chemotherapy hand in hand with Xeloda tablets. Kuya Roy and I had the same surgical oncologist but we had different medical oncologist. Dr. Samuel Ang who operated on us was referred by my long-time OB Gynecologist from the UST Hospital. We are both survivors now but Kuya Roy had a brain operation almost three years ago at the height of the pandemic. It is one of the reasons why he couldn’t take care of mom. His doctor advised him to avoid stress. My medical oncologist told me that there is just a probability of 10% for cancer to be hereditary. I tell you, the long-term effect of chemotherapy is really that – long-term. One’s immunity becomes so low that we are easily affected by other illnesses, even after all these years.

My other brother Alden suffered for three years. The doctors eventually found out that cancer cells had invaded his body. He chose alternative cure instead of an operation. He left us last year and I am still thinking of what happened.

Cancer sucks. As I have always said before, I started this blog because I wanted to share my plight as a cancer patient and survivor. Back then, people visited my blog and shared their stories. Some were brothers/sisters of the patients. I met an oncologist Filipino doctor from the US who shared his experience when his father had cancer. Another doctor from the south asked me about Dr. Sammy Ang who according to some is the best surgical oncologist in the country. When Nissa was confined at the UST Hospital, her doctor told me that Dr. Ang’s son is also practicing in the hospital. Nissa underwent thyroidectomy in September 2019. They removed her entire thyroid because of a mass and smaller ones on the other parts of her thyroid glands.

PRAYERS for all cancer patients who are undergoing treatment right now. Believe me, it is not a walk in the park.

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