Part 2. Battling A Beast

Anyway, after knowing the unwelcome summer guest, we went on to step number two. Behold, chemotherapy! This treatment makes you better and sick at the same time. You might not get it, but it’s easy. It makes you better because the medicine kills the bad cells. But it also kills the good cells since it can’t identify if the cell is good or bad.

Now, the drugs also make you even more sick. The drugs kills the good cells which results to hair falling, nail beds turning into violet and your appetite to back off. And so we went to the hospital back and forth.

On my first chemotherapy, everything was a bit new to my parents, ‘watchers’ and me. Soon, my family learned how to buy medicines with weird names, how to ask for donors for my blood transfusions, get in contact with other leukemia patients and deal with my condition. They also got used to seeing me just lying on the hospital bed either sleeping or doing nothing at all. After the first dose was administered to me, I began to feel nauseated but not exactly right after, maybe after several hours. Then, I began to vomit. Even if I liked the food, my appetite always fought with me and always won. This is what happened the next days of my first chemo session.

My first session lasted for more than a week, and then I was discharged. Expecting that my next chemo was still two weeks away, it was quite a relief. But then, after a week, my temperature abruptly went up. And before I knew it, I was back in the hospital. After the usual laboratory tests, it showed that my platelets were very low. My doctor advised that we quickly secure a platelet donor. After my parents found a donor, my fever was still persistent. Dr. Ong said this was febrile neutropenia and it was expected for leukemia patients that just had chemo.

Part 1. An Unwelcome Summer Guest

(Starting with this post is the story of my 12-year old daughter Yam's story as she recalled and wrote it. Except for the sub-title and some minor checks, I am posting the artciles en toto)

Part 1. An Unwelcome Summer Guest

Imagine this. It’s the last day of school in March 2006. Two months of summer is right in front of you. Then, a fever welcomes it. And after missing the first week of the wonderful summer, BOOM!, a bomb of cancer has exploded in your body. Pretty bad, right? But with medicine, modern technology, tons of love from friends and family and all the help you could get from the whole universe (especially from up above the heavens), it would be an unforgettable chapter to write in your book of life.

A 10-year-old girl was alone at home, lying on the bed. Her family was out to attend her brother’s graduation. She couldn’t come because of a dreadful fever she had, on and off, for almost a week. I was that little girl.

A few days after that, my parents decided to bring me to the hospital, thinking that it might be something serious. I was admitted then and there, and the diagnosis - pallor and anemia. On the third day, my doctor, Dr. Jeannie B. Ong, considered pre-leukemia because of the presence of many immature cells in my bone marrow. It wasn’t long before we found out that it really was Acute Myelogenous Leukemia or AML.

Honestly, I don’t remember what I felt that time when I was told I had cancer. All I knew about cancer at that time was that it was something severe. Plainly put, a severe disease in you body. And from what I have seen in the television, people with leukemia lose their hair. Man, I wasn’t ready to lose my hair that time! NO WAY!

500 Days and An Article

6 February, 2008. Today is Yam's 500th day post-transplant. In addition to Yam's and our thanksgiving prayer for each day God has granted, today was greeted with an email from a staff of the Big C magazine. The email was a request for Yam to write an article about her battle against leukemia. A list of vital questions were posed which serve as a guide in writing the article.

In reality, this was anticipated. So, we encouraged Yam to get going. And in spite of her hesitance, she is keenly interested about it. I will post, en toto, what she writes on a day-to-day basis until she gets the whole thing done. Of course, we are sure the editorial staff will rewrite the whole thing to conform to the magazine's editorial style.

We are excited about this.

A Prosperous New Year to Everyone!!!

As we look forward to a new year, may we thank you for being part of our lives.
Many of you changed our lives for the better, helping our dear daughter Yam,
grasp on to another lease of life.

MAY OUR LORD GOD BLESS YOU ALL WITH A FULFILLING,
HEALTHY AND PROSPEROUS YEAR!!!

Caring for the Caregivers

Two Sundays ago, I was privileged to attend a meeting at the Davao Medical Center. Xai, the dedicated and gregarious worker of the Kythe Foundation, sent me a text message the previous night informing me of the event. She called the event "Parents' Day- Off" and was to start at 2 o'clock. Attending were parents of pediatric cancer patients at the hospital. In the early evening, a modest "Children's Party" was tendered to "resident" pediatric cancer patients.

Finding my way to the meeting place, I arrived in the nick of time and meekly joined the parents' assembly. While some parents came all by their lonesome, not a few tagged their sick child along. It was like a prayer meeting where praise songs were sung and words of encouragement were shared. Then the pack was divided into smaller groups where the members shared their experiences and mutually drew strength from each other. While each has his own unique story to tell, there were many common strands which everyone easily identified with. Prayers were then said amidst the natural bonding felt among strangers with common concerns. The event was both therapeutic and instructive.

After sharing modest snacks provided and served by members of the Rotaract, a short debriefing ensued. The parents then moved on to the newly-built Hope building where more intimate conversations were held.

In the early evening, a party was tendered to the pediatric cancer patients. Two civic organizations sponsored the party - Rotaract and De Molay. I went there in my private capacity to find out how I can get involved and how to serve in my own little way.

There are a few things I can emphasize:

1. There is a growing number of pediatric cancer patients in the region. Only a few obtain medical attention due to any or a combination of these reasons: ignorance or misappreciation of the illness, economic, geographical access to health facilities or health workers.

2. More than 70% of those who get medical attention eventually drop out and don't come back for medical attention. Where are they? Chances are, they have gone ahead or waiting for their time to expire.

3. Many parents accept the proverbial "death sentence" ascribed to cancer, not knowing that many pediatric cancer cases are curable.

4. There is a dearth of health facilities and support systems for cancer patients. More so, the aspect of caring for the care-givers is a neglected need.

Thus, the importance of this social gathering among people with a common predicament. Who else but those who underwent similar circumstances could share their insights and experiences in a passionate, compassionate and soothing manner. The sharing even goes beyond these things and embraces aspects like resource generation, patient care, sibling and parental role and involvement, as well as understanding of the disease and the diseased.

I am very appreciative and thankful for the efforts made by people and organizations to support cancer patients and their parents. I thank the Rotaract, the De Molay, the Kythe Foundation and some individuals for this event. But more so for their loving hearts. Helping others and helping them help themselves go a long, long way in alleviating the hardship of those undergoing this difficult experience. Providing the needed support do not only enhance the chances for healing. If the ultimate healing inevitably comes, then the patient goes with dignity. And, let's not forget: care for the caregivers as well.