The Young Fighter

Each child is an adventure into a better life --- an opportunity to change the old pattern and make it new.

As a celebration of the Cancer in Child Awareness Month this April, we will be posting this article to give people hope, especially those families whose children are afflicted with cancer.

This is a patient testimonial from a young boy who is currently undergoing radiation therapy at St. Cabrini Medical Center and Cancer Institute due to Malignant Meningioma. He is also a part of the Cancer Support Group that we have created last month to help the patients and their families go through their fight cancer against cancer emotionally and psychologically. This support group is one of our multi-disciplinary approaches to battle this dreaded disease and will not be possible without the cooperation of the Philippine Oncology Center Corporation.

Below is the actual transcript of his story and how St. Cabrini Medical Center and Cancer Institute created a role in his and his family’s life.

Sto. Tomas, Batangas: 18 April 2015 – Magandang araw. Ako po’y si Stephen Paterno(hindi ang totoo nyang pangalan upang mapangalagaan ang menor na edad), 12 taong gulang, batang lalaki, at laking Batangas City. Hindi po ako nakakakita sa aking kanang mata sapagkat naapektuhan ito ng malignant meningioma tumor o bukol, kung kaya’t ginagamit ko ang aking kaliwang mata lamang.

Nung ako’y limang taon pa lamang ay nagkaroon ako ng pamamaga sa aking kanang mata. Lumaki po itong bukol kung kaya’y dinala ako ni nanay Marisa (hindiangtotoonyangpangalan) sa duktor upang suriin ito. Natuklasan ng duktor na mabilis po itong lumaki at agad niyang nirekomenda ang magsagawa ng surgery upang tanggalin ang bukol. Ipinaliwanag sa amin ng duktor noon na ang meningioma raw ay isang bukol na tumutubo sa may meninges o parte ng mga membrane na bumabalot sa utak at spinal cord. Kadalasan raw ay di naman ito nakakakanser (noncancerous o benign), o kaya’y madalang o pambihirang may uringmeningiomangnakakakancer (cancerous o malignant),minsannama’y may mga meningioma ng nasa pagitan ng pagiging nakakakanser at hindi ibig sabihin ang mga ito raw ay hindi benign at hindi rin naman malignant, kung kaya’t tinatawag itong atypical. Ang pagkakaroon raw ng meningioma’y madalas nangyayari sa mga kababaihan na may katandaan na.Ngunit ang meningioma’y pwede rin makaapekto sa mga kalalakihan sa kahit anong edad, matanda man o bata, kaya po’y ganito ang kalagayan ko.

Unang operasyon/surgery ko po’y nasa elementarya Grade 1 pa lamang ako at dahil rito’y napatigil ako pansamantala sa aking pag-aaral. Ang nanay ko’y isa lamang na umeekstrang labandera at ang tatay ko nama’y nagmamaneho ng traysikel. Pang-lima ako sa anim na mga anak kaya kahit nahirapan po kami noong mga panahong yon, natuloy ang surgery dahil sa kabaitan ng mga mabubuting taong nagbukas palad na tumulong sa akin at sa aking pamilya. Matapos po noon, gumaling po ang aking apektadong mata’t lumipas rin ang halos ilang taon na wala ng ibang komplikasyon sa aking kanang mata. Noong buwan ng Marso ay nagtapos po ako sa Grade 3 sa Batangas East Elementary School at rank no. 3 ako sa aming baytang. Ngunit simula ng taong 2015, sa mga nakalipas na mga buwan, napansin naming namamaga at lumalaki ulit yung bukol.

Nagpasuri kami ulit, at roon napatunayan sa testing na meron akong malignant meningioma tumor. Kaya’t pinayuhan kami ng duktor matapos ang kanyang pagsusuri, na dapat ay ipa-radiation therapy ko raw ang bukol. Nirekomenda ng aking espesyalistang duktor na gawin ang radiation therapy at chemotherapy sa St. Cabrini Medical Center & Cancer Institute. Ang Cabrini Cancer Institute lang kasi ang pinakamalapit at pinakakumpleto sa health care team at sa teknolohiyang paggamot at pagpuksa ng kanser sa katimugang Luzon. Nag-alala po kaming magpamilya sapagkat alam po naming napakamahal ang pagpapagamot ng may kanser.

Subalit di po kami nawalan ng pag-asa, mula Batangas City, nagtungo kami ni nanay sa Cabrini, at roon sa Radiotherapy Department,matapos ang masusing pagsusuri, sinabi sa amin ng radiation oncologist na tatanggap ako ng radiation therapy gamit ang LINAC. Ang radiation therapy daw o minsa’y tinatawag na radiotherapy, ayon sa aking radiation oncologist, ay isang napakalakas at napakataas na uring enerhiyang galing sa mga makinang espesyal o radioactive substance tulad ng X-ray. Sa paggamit ng napakalakas at mataas na uring radiation ay maaaring makapuksa ng kanser cells. Sinisira at pinapatay ng radiation ang mga kanser cells upang matigilan ang pagdami ng mga ito at humina ang paglaki ng tumor. Ang radiation ay pwedeng pampaliit ng tumor at pahupain ang pagkaipit, sakit at iba pang sintomas na nararamdaman ng may kanser. Ang payo sa amin na mainam raw ang33 araw ng radiation therapy at 1 session bawat araw, 5 session sa isang linggo mula Lunes hanggang Biyernes. Nalaman rin naming na ang Cancer Institute pala ay tumatanggap ng PhilHealth sa pagsagawa radiation therapy at chemotherapy laban sa kanser. Lubos na naibsan ang pag-aalala na sa awang Dios, na isama po ako sa ‘indigent’ at maaari pala ang ‘no-balance billing’ sa katayuan namin.

Napakalaking tulong at ginahawa po ang dulot sa amin ng PhilHealth at dahil dito’y napakalaki ng aming pasasalamat. Sa panahon ng pagkasulat nito’y kakatapos ko pa lamang ng at naka-8 araw na akong radiotherapy sa Cabrini. Gayun pa ma’y ang mga magulang ko’y patuloy na umaasang makalikom ng karagdagang pantustos para sa gagamitin naming pang-araw-araw na pamasahe (limang na araw sa isang linggo, sa loob ng mga pitong linggo) mula Batangas hanggang Sto. Tomas at pabalik.

Ang pagsugpo ng kanser pala’y talagang sa pamamagitan ng pangangalagang di lamang nag-iisa kundi sa pakikipagtulungan ng maraming tao.Mahalaga ang pagkakaroon ng mga ekspertong duktor at mga espesyalistang pinagtitiwalaan at higit sa lahat ang pagkakaroon ng makabagong makina. Miyembro rin ako at ang nanay kos a Cancer Support Group na nagbibigay ng impormasyon, inspirasyon at sigla sa mga pasyente at pamilyang nakakaranas ng karamdamang kanser. Dito alam ko na maraming may kakayahan at mga mabubuting kalooban na makakatulong sa mga batang gaya ko.

Ibinabahagi ko ang saysay na ‘to, lalo na ngayong buwan ng Abril na ipinagdiriwang ng buong bansang Pilipinasang DOH “Cancer in Children Awareness Month,” nais ko sanang malaman ng maraming mga kabataang may kahit anong uring kanser, at ang kanilang pamilya na magkaroon sila ng inspirasyon at hindi mawalan ng pag-asa sapagkat ang pangangalaga at paggamot ng kanser ay abot-kamay. Mahalagang mabigyan ang mga pamilya ng mga batang tulad ko ng linaw, gabay at kumpletong impormasyon sa pinakamaagang panahon ng tamang pamamaraan ng mga therapy upang agad malabanan at maiwasan ang paglalang sakit na kanser.

English Translation:

Sto. Tomas, Batangas: 18 April 2015 – Good day. I am Stephen (not his real name), 12 years old, a boy, and grew up and living at Batangas City. My right eye is blind due to malignan meningioma tumor and I am only using my left eye.

When I was 5 years old, I had a tumor on my right eye. It increased in size so my mother Marisa (not her real name) brought me to a doctor to have it checked up. The doctor discovered that it was growing at a rapid rate so he recommended a surgery to remove the tumor. The doctor explained that I have meningioma and that it is a tumor that grows at a part of the membrane covering the brain and spinal cord which is called meninges. Mostly it is nor cancerous and there are rare cases that it may become cancerous. Sometimes there are meningioma that are considered in-between cancerous and non-cancerous and they call it atypical. Meniongoma mostly affects much older women but there can be cases that it also affects men from all ages, child or adult, and I am one of those affected.

My first surgical operation was when I was in Grade 1 and because of this I temporarily stopped schooling. My mother is only a part-time washing lady and my father is a tricycle driver. I am fifth in a brood of six but even if my family was experiencing a difficult time, my surgery pushed through because of the good people who lent their hand to help me and my family. After that, I recovered and a few years passed that I didn’t experience any complications with my right eye. I finished my 3rd Grade in Batangas East Elementary School last March holding the 3rd rank in my level. But at the start of 2015 and a few months after, we noticed that the tumor was evident and progressing at a larger size again.

We went back to the doctor and he confirmed through the test that I have malignant meningioma tumor. After the check up, the doctor told my parents that I should undergo radiation therapy. He recommended that I take my radiation therapy and chemotherapy at St. Cabrini Medical Center and Cancer Institute. It is the nearest and the only one in Southern Luzon that has the most complete health care team and modern technology to help cancer patients. But my family and I were worried because we know that fighting cancer is very expensive.

But we never lose hope. From Batangas City, my mother and I went to Cabrini and after a thorough check, the Radiation Oncologist told me that I have to undergo radiation therapy using LINAC. Radiation Therapy or sometimes called Radiotheraphy as explained by my Radiation Oncologist is a strong and high type of energy that comes from a special machine or radioactive substance like X-Ray. Using this kind of energy can destroy and kill cancer cells to stop it from multiplying thus decreasing the size of the tumor. Radiation can decrease the tumor and reduce the symptoms experienced by a cancer patient. The advice is 33 sessions of radiation therapy with one session daily leading to five sessions in a week from Monday to Friday. We also learned that the Cancer Institute accepts Philhealth for radiation therapy and chemotherapy against cancer. My family’s financial worry was reduced and through God’s mercy, I was also included in the indigent list which may result to a no-balance billing for me.

Philhealth was a great help for my family and because of this we are very much grateful. During the writing of this testimonial, I have just finished my 8th radiotherapy at Cabrini. Still my parents are hopeful that they can gather additional money for our transportation expenses from Batangas to Sto. Tomas and back everyday for five days a week in 7 weeks.

Fighting cancer is really a joint effort with a lot of people, expert doctors, specialists that you trust, and most of all having new and modern machines. My mother and I are both members of the Cancer Support Group that helps us have information, inspiration, and strength from the patients and families experiencing cancer. Through here, I know that there are people who have the capacity and the kindness of heart to help children like me.

I am sharing this story, especially this month of April wherein our country is celebrating the “Cancer in Children Awareness Month”. I want the many children to know, those who are fighting cancer, and their families as well, that they should have inspiration and not lose hope because care and cure of cancer is almost within reach. It is important that families and children like me be made to understand, guide, and given complete information on the earliest time and the correct way of giving therapy so as to quickly fight and also help to avoid worsen the condition of cancer patients.

#meningioma #cancerinchildawarenessmonth #stephen #cancerinstitute #cancersupportgroup