Bettina Osmeña’s message to cancer victims: Celebrate life

MANILA, Philippines - In 2003, Bettina Osmeña had her usual mammogram, which she religiously submits herself to every year. She found out she had early stage breast cancer. “It wasn’t a lump — they said it was microcalcification, like clusters of sand,” Bettina relates. “I had a second and third opinion, and mastectomy (of the right breast) was the only recourse or it would have progressed to something serious because it wasn’t localized, it was very widespread. But I was assured they caught it at the best time, it was really just starting, or I wouldn’t be here now.”

When she found out she had cancer, the first thing she did was to stop smoking. Her husband, Senator Serge Osmeña, stopped smoking in the bedroom, too. She tried to eat healthy (“try” is the operative word here), too.

“And we tried to be strong,” says Bettina. “At least we were given all the facts about my cancer so we knew exactly what I was dealing with.”

Bettina had three surgeries, including a breast reconstruction.

Bettina recalls, “I couldn’t look at my breasts — maybe I didn’t see them for three to four years. I avoided the mirror all the time, I was so scared. Then one day, I just said, ‘OK, get it done and over with. Look at the mirror!’ I did and it wasn’t so bad naman pala. Because I had a cousin who kept telling me, ‘Your breast is going to look like a monster.’ Oh, God, that really stuck in my head!”

While battling the Big C, Bettina found a “breast friend” in Bing Bing Quiros, who’s now also her business partner.

“When she had cancer, I had another close friend who was fighting cervical cancer,” says Bing Bing. “I was just in my room feeling depressed. I was the one feeling depressed and I wanted to say, ‘Snap out of it. What’s wrong with you?’”

Bettina found more breast friends when she joined ICanServe Foundation, a non-profit organization whose mission is to promote early breast cancer detection. It was founded by Kara Magsanoc-Alikpala, herself a cancer victim who was only 26 years old when she had breast cancer.  Bettina once served as chairman of ICanServe.  At ICanServe, there are enough stories of pain and suffering, of faith and courage, of hope and triumph to go around.

“I come across so many breast cancer survivors on a daily basis,” says Bettina. “I’ve had friends diagnosed with Stage 3 cancer. Fortunately, the mortality rate has gone down because science has improved so much in the management of breast cancer.”

In 2003, ICanServe Foundation only had 20 active members; now, there are more than 200 all over the Philippines. “We give them information on breast cancer, how to get funding for their surgery, etc.,” Bettina shares.

Bettina goes on to relate, “Recently, a TV personality (whom Bettina will only identify as a young mom) gave me a cold call and she said she was just diagnosed with breast cancer which was identical to my case. She didn’t know me personally, but of course, I know who she is. She had a little lump removed and she had radiation. She got through the whole ordeal because from the onset, I told her, ‘You’re not going to die, that’s 100% sure so we have to celebrate.’”

Indeed, the two women went out for a drink to celebrate life. Bound by a common ordeal and a sterling determination to triumph over the odds, they’re now friends on Facebook.

“I’m alive!” Bettina gushes. For her, what counts is not so much adding years to one’s life as adding life to one’s years.  With best friend Bing Bing Quiros, she has put up the Organic Basket that carries certified organic products made with the purest ingredients.

The first time we met Bettina Osmeña was over lunch of fresh greens and other healthy stuff (some of us went to McDonald’s after that) at her lovely home, where she launched two products: AloeCure Pure Aloe Juice and Organic Aloe Chunks.

“Two years ago, I had a friend who was having chemo and I gave her aloe vera to be able to cope with it,” says Bettina. “Now, I have another friend undergoing chemo after being diagnosed with cancer of the blood (leukemia) and I gave him 20 bottles of aloe vera as a gift.”

One of Bettina’s customers told her he could only sleep sitting down because he had acid reflux (which may cause heartburn and indigestion). After taking aloe vera, he can now sleep lying down — and soundly, too.

Used in herbal medicine since the beginning of the first century AD, aloe vera contains 200 vitamins, minerals, and amino acids (20 out of 22 amino acids, which not only build cells and repair tissues but also form anti-bodies to fight bacteria and viruses).  It’s got vitamins A, C, and E known for their antioxidant properties, your best bets against cancer-causing free radicals; beta carotene for better vision and clearer skin; B-Complex, the energy vitamin which converts carbohydrates to glucose for a healthy nervous and neurological system which leads to better memory. More, aloe vera’s got selenium to mimic the action of insulin, leading to better management of diabetes; chromium for efficient metabolism of carbohydrates and fats, and for lowering blood sugar; zinc for healing wounds; calcium for bone health; and malic calcium to reduce the production of stomach acids, making it very effective against ulcers, heartburn, and other gastrointestinal disorders. It is also rich in saponins, the best colon cleanser which washes away the toxins from the stomach, liver, kidneys, spleen, and bladder.

In 1994. the US FDA approved the use of aloe vera for the treatment of HIV. Highly concentrated aloe juice stimulates the production of white blood cells to effectively fight viruses.

Researchers have found that this wonder plant has the ability to activate the immune system to attack cancer cells. It switches on the immune system by activating macrophages (white blood cells which swallow antigens), causing the release of immune-activating and anti-cancer substances such as interferons and interleukines. What’s more, aloe vera promotes the growth of normal (non-cancerous) cells.

And yes, aloe vera promotes weight loss. “I lost 20 pounds after taking aloe vera every day,” says a beaming Bing Bing. “I didn’t realize I was getting so fat after my menopause. It also gave me the energy to exercise (and do Zumba, play squash, and do the punishing Plana Forma workout).”

This time around, Bettina and partner Bing Bing are bringing in the Aloe Derma hair care line consisting of shampoo, conditioner, and hair tonic. Manufactured by AGHG (American Global Health Group), the products are made from organically grown aloe vera with eco certification. Unlike commercial products that probably  only have a trace of aloe vera, Aloe Derma’s hair care line has the highest concentration of aloe vera and is so affordably priced, too (a 210ml shampoo at P225, 260ml for P280). They’re now available at all Watsons stores, 14 Health Express branches, Rustan’s Flower Shop, Landmark Makati and TriNoma.

“The beauty of our hair tonic, for instance, is that it’s 99.8% pure aloe vera so you don’t have to buy the plant (sabila), open it up; it’s so messy and smelly,” asserts Bettina.

Bettina had really thin hair, but after using aloe vera, even the strand of her hair became thicker.  And aloe vera has kept her hair black she doesn’t have to dye.

“Commercial hair products are full of chemicals that damage hair,” says Bing Bing. “We have enough pollutants around us so why add more to our bodies?”

Bettina and Bing Bing are also happy they have their aloe gel product, which has helped a lot of women undergoing radiotherapy for cancer. “Radiation burns and this gel can help ease the burn,” says Bettina. “It makes a big difference after radiation. So, now, we make ourselves available in the gift shops of premier hospitals like MakatiMed and St. Luke’s.”

Bettina also highly recommends that every kitchen should keep an aloe vera gel handy as first aid. “Did you know how the AGHG chairman Douglas Jewett discover aloe vera?” Bettina asks. “He had a friend whose mother got badly burned in the kitchen from an oil spill. His friend had an aloe vera plant in the garden and they just put and put it on the burnt body of the mother. It was like a miracle, as it nothing happened to his friend’s mom! When Doug heard about it, he got really intrigued and he did a lot of research on aloe vera. He found out it was good for the digestive system as well.”

Bettina confesses she’s bringing in all this healthy stuff as an offshoot of her bad eating habits. “I guess the key to good health is balance. I don’t eat badly every day. But last night, I ate lechon at a friend’s birthday party. I had to stop a friend from getting a third helping of the lechon. If I eat badly, I counter balance it with all the supplements I take (she takes more than 20 assorted supplements) and I’m doing rebounding — 20 minutes on the rebounder is like a one-hour workout.”

Bettina and Bing Bing agree that more than money, they get psychic income from running their Organic Basket business. “We help improve the lives of people like those suffering from indigestion who can now eat and sleep better, or those suffering from hair loss who now have better self-confidence,” Bettina happily declares.

Surely, the two friends agree that health really is wealth. “I have come across rich people who have all the money in this world, but they’re not truly living well because they’re in poor health,” says Bettina.

Having battled the Big C, Bettina believes one must make the big decision to live a clean, healthy life.

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For inquiries on Organic Basket, call 888-ALOE (2563), 819-ALOE, mobile number 09199915207. E-mail info@aloecurephilippines.com; visit www.aloecurephilippines.com, www.aloepurephilippines.com.