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An open mind and heart

Written by Ed Santoalla

Leukocytosis. The word rang strong and clear in Ed’s mind. It was an unfamiliar word, one of many medical terms that twist the tongue, but cryptic and haunting in its likely definition. At the time of the diagnosis, his life was on an upward spiral: a flurry of activity at work, numerous friends from a variety of social plains, and a family to tend to. Suddenly, he had leukemia.

Inner strength, inner smile

Written by Maricris Cang

She had it done every year. Always mindful of her health, annual check-ups with the doctor were second nature to Maricris. Every year, she was declared to be in good physical condition. But last year was different.

There is life with and after cancer

Written by Tarcing A Erbina

Cancer was not new to me. I had read about it and I had met some people with cancer. It never crossed my mind that I will get afflicted with it. I did not have any symptoms. So, it was the greatest shock in my life when my doctor declared that I had breast cancer. That was 19 years ago; I was 36 years old then. My initial reaction was to sulk and blame the creator for giving me such undue punishment. I felt I did not have any serious infractions of his commandments. I was temporarily numbed and deaf to the consolation and advice of family and friends, who with great concern and unselfish efforts, unceasingly tried to free me from grief and despair.

He made me strong

Written by Olga Corpuz

58 years old. The verdict was handed - you have breast cancer. I could not believe my ears. ME? A doctor, an anesthesiologist afflicted with cancer? Yes, that was the most dreadful news I’ve heard. I thought being a doctor who advocates good health; I would be spared this affliction. CANCER unfortunately is not selective. It can afflict anybody, rich poor, young or old, DOCTOR or not.

I am a cancer survivor

Written by Cynthia Allanigue

When I was first diagnosed with breast cancer more than two years ago, the first thing my friends did, besides cry buckets of tears with me, was to surf the internet and visit websites for information about cancer. I remember getting volumes and volumes of documents culled from various websites. Information about what may have caused my cancer, what treatments were available, health diets to kill cancer cells and prevent them from coming back were among the vast information we gathered. They even downloaded testimonials and exchanges from survivors I had never met but whose experiences proved vital in my fight with the disease. God knows I had never relied much on the web until I came face to face with death.