Bringing more than just hope to the cancer-stricken

MANILA, Philippines - Giving hope — and a lot more is what Carewell, The Cancer Resource and Wellness Community, does. The non-profit organization is committed to providing support, education, and hope to persons with cancer — and to their loved ones — for free. Working along Dr. Harold Benjamin’s belief that the patient’s will and the physician’s skill make a powerful combination, Carewell’s resources and activities are geared towards facilitating this productive partnership between the patient and his loved ones on one hand, and the patient’s medical team on the other hand.

 Carewell is not a clinic, hospital, or treatment facility. It is a community of caring and understanding individuals dedicated to addressing the most significant stressors cancer patients and their loved ones face: isolation, helplessness, and a feeling of hopelessness. At Carewell, members are welcome to drop by within the day, to join the scheduled activities, to talk with volunteer counselors or other members, or to just relax in some corner to read and de-stress. Light refreshments are available throughout the day and the ambience is bright and cheery. The members are encouraged to make the most out of life even while battling cancer, for each day is a gift.

Inspired by their experience at The Wellness Community in the US, the late Jessica “Jackie” Suntay and her husband Robert “Bobbit” Suntay envisioned reproducing such a positive experience for cancer patients in the Philippines. Although at that time other community-based psychosocial support organizations already existed in the Philippines, none of them offered the all-in-one support system that Jackie and Bobbit dreamed of having. And they wanted this facility to offer the community’s services for free. 

Furthermore, they had an international network that could help the community members even more. Thus in 2005, the Cancer Resource and Wellness (Carewell) Community was incorporated.

 From four members and a single counselor, Carewell today has 300 members, five trustees, two fulltime facility staff, 20 facility volunteers, and 14 medical advisors. 

Carewell has ties with leading Philippine hospitals, various media organizations, and a number of local and international cancer societies, agencies, and organizations.

 Such terrific support as Carewell offers has to be made available to even more Filipinos. It is Bobbit’s dream to help start up other Carewell communities in the different provinces of the Philippines. A worthy dream, and one that Bobbit is indeed working hard to achieve.

 At Carewell, the psychosocial support for the members begins as soon as they become members. This continues throughout the member’s cancer journey. The community even has members coming back after they experience remission or are declared cured of their cancer. Some loved ones also keep going back to Carewell after the member has departed.

 Lately, Carewell has been involved in preventive and awareness activities to help in the early detection of cancer in patients, knowing that the earlier the stage of the disease, the better the chances are of curing it.

 One such activity is the free cervical cancer screening held recently. Carewell, together with Merck, Sharp and Dohme Philippines (MSD), the Philippine Obstetrical and Gynecological Society (POGS), and the Society of Gynecologic Oncologists of the Philippines (SGOP) teamed up with the Department of Health to provide a day of free cervical cancer screening for females aged 15-45 years old in selected DOH-retained hospitals in Metro Manila, Ilocos, Cebu, and Davao.

 Open forums were held in participating hospitals, educational materials given away, and support activities made available to cancer patients to assist them in their journey and recovery. Interested participants pre-registered and underwent screening at the following hospitals: Amang Rodriguez Medical Center, Marikina; Dr. Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital, Manila; East Avenue Medical Center, Quezon City; Dr. Jose Rodriguez Memorial Hospital, Caloocan; Jose R. Reyes Memorial Medical Center, Manila; Las Piñas City Medical Center; Quirino Memorial Medical Center, Quezon City; Rizal Medical Center, Pasig; Valenzuela General Hospital; Tondo Medical Center, Manila; Davao Medical Center; Ilocos Training and Regional Medical Center in La Union; Region 1 Medical Center, Pangasinan; and Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center, Cebu.

 The Carewell Community is located at 6/F S&L Building, Dela Rosa corner Esteban Street, Legaspi Village, Makati City. For more information, visit www.carewellcommunity.org.