Surviving Stage of Having Leukemia

Curing leukemia is a difficult battle to endure, however there is hope.After my confinement at Davao Doctors Hospital,we went home in Lebak Sultan Kudarat Philippines.Do you know that my doctor told us that I could live my life until 21 years?If my body can't surpass and fight infections,my existence here on earth will be shortened.Huh!Aray ko!sakit noon ha. For short, may taning buhay ko? Hala kang bata ka.


Cancer survivor's immunity is WEAK! But MATIGAS ULO KO,I'm a fighter.I'm a WARRIOR.
I'm lucky since my parents are Christians.I want to live my life.I want to survive.


In my mind,I knew  I am SICK. But there's a VOICE within me, telling I WILL SURVIVE.Don't know saan galing ang VOICE na yon. Yes,I will survive.Parang kanta ata yun ni Gloria Gaynor.


There was a song who influenced me to Keep on holding to my belief that I can survive.It's a song by The Bachelors, WALK WITH FAITH IN YOUR HEART! If you dont know the lyrics and melody, check this video:

Let's  have a TRIVIA first about this song. Alam niyo bang ang kantang  WALK WITH FAITH IN YOUR HEART Charted at #21 on UK Singles chart in December 1966, #83 on Billboard Hot 100, and #26 on Billboard Easy Listening (AC) chart.?

Here's the lyrics :

Walk with faith in your heart
And you'll never walk alone
For the faith in your heart
The world is yours to own
You never will grieve
If within you believe

And walk with faith in your heart.

When the dreams that you dream
Seems to disappear from with you
And it's the time to hang on
And soon they will come true
It will lighten your load
As you travel that road

So walk with faith in your heart.

Whenever you have troubles
Just reach out His hands
Keep by your side
Your constant guide
And seek to understand

You will find happiness
If you let Him be your friend
And you'll find your success
It's just around the bend
He won't let you down
Wear a smile not a frown
So walk with faith in your heart.

Now tell me if this song is nice and inspiring.


Natatandaan ko ,I kept on eating AMPALAYA and ATAY ng Manok,Baboy at Baka ( Bitter Melon and Liver of Pork,Beef and Chicken)Kaya sa tuwing iihaw at  magluluto ng manok ang nanay ko, ang ATAY ay exclusive lamang sa akin.Opps,5 kaming magkakapatid noong akoy nagka leukemia.Di pa lumabas ang pang anim at pang pito.Very productive ang parents ko ano.hehehehe. Bitter Melon and Liver of Pork,Beef and Chicken are well recommended leukemia patients.

(few months after my confinement as cancer patient.I got  a special award as MOST HONEST STUDENT in Grade 1)

Simple lang buhay namin sa Nuling, Lebak.Walang Kuryente noong ako'y bata pa.Madalas kinakain namin ay gulay,prutas at isda.Eating those fresh vegetables,fruits and fishes helped me.Could you imagine,we will just go to the river at the back of our house and catch some fishes,shrimp and crablets?Sulbad na amoang sud-an.

When I was in grade 1 and Grade 2,wala ako sa honors list.Why?My brain didn't worked well.Ang natatandaan ko lang,tuwing afternoon class,natutulog ako sa upuan.My grade 1 teacher was Lola Rosario,younger sister of my grand mother.While in Grade 2,my teacher was my Lola Aida,another younger sister of my grand mom..My teacher sent me home kapag ako'y natutulog lang.


By the way, according to the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Result, Cancer statistics,the survival rate five years following diagnoses,relative to the general population,for all adult patient with leukemia is 54 %.The cure rate for leukemia in adults is usually uch lower than for children with the diseases. 


Rapid advancement and new discoveries in leukemia treatment have made surviving leukemia more likely than it was in the past.  Other options for treatment include  radiation, biological therapy and in rare cases, surgery. 


One of the most common types of leukemia, acute leukemia, must be treated right away because of how quickly the cancer progresses. The main objective of treatment is to bring about remission, leaving no trace of the disease.  During remission, more therapy is given to the patient to prevent relapse.  When treated early, many people with acute leukemia are cured.


The second most common type of leukemia, chronic leukemia, may not require immediate treatment because disease progression is slower.  However, it is imperative for those with this type of leukemia to have frequent checkups in order to monitor the disease.  When treatment is needed it is often used to control the disease and symptoms.


Biological therapy is treatment with substances that affect the immune system's response to cancer. Interferon, a drug used against some types of leukemia, is a form of biological therapy. Biological therapy or immunotherapy uses the body’s immune system to fight cancer, using antibodies to target and destroy leukemia cells

 Chemotherapy is given in cycles, a treatment period followed by a recovery period, then another treatment period and so on.  Anticancer drugs reach all areas of your body through your bloodstream.  Chemotherapy destroys cancer cells by stopping them from growing or multiplying.   Some healthy cells are destroyed as well, which is what causes the side effects, but normal cells are often able to repair themselves after treatment. Different types of drugs are used for the different types of leukemia.


By the way,these are some important information about LEUKEMIA.Im sharing this for all of you.

My recent picture taken in Penang Malaysia during Asian Cruise last summer!

LIVE LIFE TO THE FULLEST.Everything happens for a reason.I had leukemia when I was a child for a reason or reasons.

My Childhood Life as Cancer Survivor: The attack

Matagal na akong naging bata pero nasa isipan ko pa rin ang nangyayari noon.Ang pagkakaalam ko lang,kakaiba ang pagiging bata ko noon kung ihambing sa aking mga kapatid.Kulang na lang tawagan akong SPECIAL CHILD pero iba ang kahulugan noon.Pero talagang sakitin ako noong bata.I lived and grew up in Nuling Lebak Sultan Kudarat,Southern part of Philippines.

Our antique House in Nuling Lebak,SK,Philippines

I was in grade 1 in Nuling Elementary School, when Leukemia striked me.I could still remember ano ang scenario noon. That was Saturday afternoon when I and Romy Ramos,my childhood bestfried,went to our farm to catch some birds.For short,nanirador kami ni Romy sa uma.As kids, we love hunting  birds in the farm.

There was a big tree in Nuling,tapad sa balay ni uncle Saro Ogatis.We saw the birds' nest in that tree.But we were afraid since such big tree was known as Bahay ng mga Dewende(house of dwarfs).May nagpapakitang dewende daw sa malaking puno na iyon.Pero dahil matigas ang aming ulo,(remember,matigas ang ulo).Pinaki-alaman namin ang pugad.Sad to say,we found nothing in the birds nest kay nahimo nang pis-pis ang mga itlog ng ibon.hehehehe!

After few hours,we went home.While walking ,I noticed there were many blackspots in my hands and in my body.Parang kinurot ng tao.Daming pasa ang katawan ko.We thought dwarfs really attacked me.

Takot akoang magsumbong sa Nanay ko, kasi siguradong kurot at palo na naman aabutin ko.I told Romy to keep quite about what's going on in my body.By the way,my best Romy passed away last 2004.Another story to tell.I missed my childhood buddy.

But my mother noticed those black spots in my body.Habang lumipas ang mga minuto at oras,lalong dumadami ang mga pasa-pasa sa katawan ko.My parents brought me to a quack doctor( lolo Bisay Damiano).Healing ritual was done.Pausok dito,pausok doon.haplas dito,haplas doon.Inatake umano ako ng mga dewende .But nothing happened after performing rituals.

My body started to weakened.Morning came in and black spots keep on spreading all over my body so my Nanay and Tatay Linda brought me to the doctor.My Lola Esperanza Jugado remembered and told me that while waiting for the tricycle,sabi ko daw sa tatay at nanay ko:dali-i niyo hay basi mapatay na ako.luya na lawas ko (Hurry please!!I felt weak and I am dying)

When we arrived at Doc Ang hospital in  Poblacion,Lebak,our town doctor told my parents that I should be sent to Davao Doctors Hospital since I have a Leukemia or Cancer of the blood.The hospital in our town Lebak had no medical facilities in treating Leukemia.

At that time,wala nang Ferry papuntang Cotabato.Ferry or lantsa usually departs in Kalamansig Port at 8 am.Since I need to be treated as soon as possible,I was airlifted by a plane owned by a logging company, M& S company.

Our town Lebak Sultan Kudarat

I was confined in Davao Doctors Hospital. During my confinement I couldn't remember some scenario in the hospital.

Ang maalala ko lang,basta may pumapasok na nakaputi ang damit,takot ako kasi may dalang injection,halos lahat ng daliri ko tinutusukan nila ng karayom at nag bo-blood test  parati.So ginagawa ko raw,pag may mga pumapasok sa room,yayakap ako kina Tatay at Nanay ko sabay sigaw na tama na,masakit naaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!


To God Be The GLORY! Abangan ang susunod na kabanata!

Leukemia Stages and Survival Rates

by thesurvivorsclub.org

(I am sharing this article from thesurvivorsclub.org for those who are not aware about Leukemia.Im lucky that i survived from this killer disease.God is really great and good all the time.Cancer of the Blood had stricked   me during 1980's.During that era,survival was so low since medical facilities and drugs were not readily available.I am blessed because God gave me strength and courage to go on living and fight such killer disease.But Life was so hard.I experienced many afflictions such as malaria, typhoid fever ,migraine and skin allergies since my immunity was weak.Leukemia survivors struggle a lot  compare to an ordinary  person)

There are more than 232,000 people in the U.S. living with leukemia and approximately 44,000 new cases are expected to be diagnosed this year.  For most cancers there are distinct stages in the progression of the disease.  The stages for most cancers are based on the size of the tumors and how far those tumors are from the original site of your cancer.  Leukemia is different.  Leukemia is a cancer of the bone marrow.

In Philippines,it ranks 5th in the overall killer disease in the Philippines,according to the Department of Health. Leukemia, by its very nature, is spread throughout your body almost instantly in the marrow of your bones.  Most forms of leukemia spread to other organs of the body at an alarming rate, making staging impractical.  One of the primary forms of leukemia, Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML), is divided into three phases, rather than stages.  The first phase is known as the Chronic Phase.  This phase is made up of patients with fewer than 5 percent blasts (cancerous cells) in their blood and bone marrow samples.

Patients in the Chronic Phase have very mild symptoms of the disease and respond well to standard leukemia treatments.  The second phase is known as the Accelerated Phase.  In this phase patients have more than 5 percent but less than 30 percent blasts in their blood and bone marrow samples.  Most patients in the Accelerated Phase suffer from loss of appetite and weight loss and do not responds as well to traditional treatments.  The third and final phase is known as Acute Blast Phase.  In this phase patients have more than 30 percent blast cells and their cancer has spread from the bone marrow to other organs.  Patients in the Acute Blast Phase must now deal with an extremely aggressive form of the disease.  Other forms of leukemia have slight differences in their staging, but most follow the same basic pattern as CML.

Leukemia Phases and Outlook for Survival

Because of the nature of leukemia, normal cancer “stages” don’t really apply, as previously discussed.  So in addition to phases, many forms of leukemia are also characterized by a patient’s outlook for survival.  Things such as an acceleration in the formation of blasts, increase in the size of the spleen, a very high or very low blood platelet count, being over 60 years of age, and certain chromosomal changes are all looked at as negative factors for a patient’s survival.

 What Are the Symptoms of Leukemia?Having some of the symptoms enumerated above does not necessarily mean that you have leukemia.  Only a doctor can tell you that.  However, if you have more than one of the following symptoms, it might be wise to ask your health care professional to run some tests.  Are you always fatigued? Do you feel constantly weak?  Do you get frequent fevers or chills for no apparent reason?  Have you lost your appetite?  Are you losing weight?  Does it seem that several of your lymph nodes are enlarged?  Do you have any tiny red patches on your skin?  Do you bruise easily?  Do you bleed easily?  Do you have night sweats?  Do your bones feel tender or painful? 

I spitted blood last May 2012.(Epsiode 1)

I spitted again ( Episode 2)

Survival Rates for Leukemia If you suffer from any of the above symptoms you should immediately consult with your doctor.  If your doctor confirms the worst, what are your chances of surviving for 5 years?  Your chances are a lot better today than they were 40 years ago.  In the 1960s the 5-year survival rate for all forms of leukemia was about 14 percent.  Today that survival rate has risen to just over 50 percent.  For some forms of leukemia, such as CLL, the survival rate after 5 years is 76 percent.  For children under 5 the survival rate for most forms of leukemia is 90 percent, with new advances being made all the time.

This is My Story: Leukemia Survivor

The beauty of God’s creation is beyond description.I praise God for his beautiful works.And i am one of those beautiful masterpieces He has created.

Sunset in Lebak Beach, Philippines

 There have been many times in my life when i felt down and helpless.I am sick,i would tell myself and then i would say God will find a way for me to get better,He will make a MIRACLE. And He would really do it.

  My family,relatives and other people in our barangay did not expect me to grow up into one of the more successful persons in our community.When i was six years old, I was diagnosed with LEUKEMIA.
My life was in danger.When i looked at my arms,legs and the rest of my body,I would notice the black spots that are the tell-tale signs of Leukemia. Everyone in our barangay thought my case was hopeless,but they still prayed for me to get well.

My Hometown,Lebak Sultan Kudarat,Philippines

Since we were living in a far flung barangay of Lebak,Sultan Kudarat,Southern part of Mindanao,Philippines i was brought to a quack doctor.He told us that "dewendes" had attacked my body and that was why i had those black spots.Traditional healing rituals were held,but nothing happened.

I was afraid i would die.I told my Nanay Linda,who is a church minister,to bring me to the hospital as soon as possible since i felt weak,and the spots were spreading to the upper parts of my body.The doctor in our town told us I had LEUKEMIA.She instructed my parents to bring me to Davao Doctors 

 Hospital since our town had no medical facilities for treating the disease.The doctor said I had to be brought there immediately to avoid infection on some sensitive and critical organs like the heart and brain.

      I was airlifted from our hometown of Lebak Sultan Kudarat,on a plane owned by a logging company and brought to Davao City.God gave me a miracle that time.I survived.But the doctor told us I could expect to live on until my 21st bithday.
         As i grew up,i kept telling myself my health will improve.My family loves me so much,and that’s why i have to live life to the fullest, I said.They have showed their care,affection and love in many ways. My brother Bong even told me that if one isn’t ready to die,he is not ready to live here on earth.
I had never forgotten that line as i grew up. It continues to encourage me to look at life with a lot of HOPE and OPTIMISM.
        At that epoch,there were no electricities in my beloved small barrio named Nuling.We grew up and live our life in a primitive ways:no television to watch what’s happening around the world,no refrigerator,and all stuffs that need electric power.Farming is the means of livelihood in our barrio.
    
I grew up up very different from my friends and classmates. I was exempted from tough activities in school and at home since my body was weak.I had big dreams but there were so many fears since i could not forget what happened before.But i had faith in our Almighty Father,and I believed He would perform another miracle after I had survive the first trial.

(One year after my confinement as cancer patient(from Left to Right: Me,Kuya Ardniel,Ate Grace,Kuya Velmor,Jorlyn,Dave ,Nanay linda and Tatay Boy)When i was in grade one,i got a special award as MOST HONEST STUDENT. I dont have any Honor's award since i am sick at that time.It was during Grade 3 level when i was included in the honor's list since my body was recovering.)

 There was a time during high school when i wanted to give up since i was suffering so much affliction,including malaria,typhoid fever and migraine.But my desire to live life to the fullest overcame my despair.Still I asked myself HOW COULD I LIVE LIFE TO THE FULLEST IF I WAS SICK?But always it was my faith that sustained my desire to live.I believed that i could have a bright future and my dreams would be fulfilled for as long as I had faith,hope and a positive outlook.God will always find a way.

      During my high school days,despite i am not that physically strong, i helped my family in doing some farm chores.Every weekend,enable us to have a weekly allowance,i usually sell some farm products in our market,ten kilometers away from our barrio.Since life was not so easy in our slepping barrio and town ,no better job offerings are available so most of my kababayan usually move out and search for a greener pastures in the nearest cities like Gensan and Davao City and even Metro Manila.

Batch 1997 of Lebak Legislated  High School!

working as radio operator in Lebak Municipal Hall.

  After high school graduation,i wasn’t able to go to college since my parents couldn’t send me to college.So i  searched for a job in our town and i had one.I’d worked as a radio operator in our Municipal Hall for a year.
    Days,months,and years passed quickly. I went to college and enrolled in a regular course to earn a degree.I became one of the better students at the university. I was active in both academic and non academic endeavors. When i was president of our organization,the MSU-SOCIOLOGY CLUB,we conducted various services in some remote barangays of SOCSKSARGEN( South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani Province and Gensan City)
   

    It was also in college that i started my broadcasting career. One of my many dreams was to be a famous disc jockey. I love to share with my radio listeners some great quotations,play some cool music and give out information that would make them aware and responsible citizens.

Since my junior years, i have been working in a local F.M. radio station.I feel great when i know that listeners are happy with my program. And i welcome the opportunity to develop my talent and potentials.

 When i celebrated my 21st birthday,it was another very memorable occasion for me.I had outlived the doctors prediction.God had made a miracle to happen again.After waiting with fear for the time to arrive,celebrating my 21st birthday proved that i was not sick anymore.

On my birthday,it was held in a very cool beach,my father paid me a surprise visit,despite the long distance between our hometown and our school.We had a simple celebration where he gave a testimony about my life history and how i survived so many illnesses and trials.At the party there was much laughter and tears of joy.It was for me one of the sweetest occasions in my life.And i am very thankful to all my college friends and classmates who shared their time in celebrating the beauty of life.

Today, i feel confident and ready to face new trials and challenges. I know God’s love is constant at immeasurable.God gave me a very serious illness during my childhood for a reason.But i came out of it with a stronger faith and a lot of Hope and confidence about the future.
   
It has been said that GOD has a reason for everything.When he closes a door, he opens not just a window but even the whole roof.Everyday is a day to be thankful for.
 

                                                    Taken at Patong Beach in Phuket Thailand

I have won my battles in my life and i feel ready to face other battles ahead. TO GOD BE THE GLORY!