In 2018, a visual artist and dancer chanced upon a poster online recommending early breast cancer detection and the importance of performing a self-breast exam.
And so, she went home, did a self-breast exam, and found a lump. Her family members, relatives and friends told her that lumps and bumps are normal and that they have no family history of breast cancer. But this feisty lady trusted her gut. She went to see a doctor, had an incision biopsy, and found out that she had breast cancer.
In 2013, this PR maven only learned about her medical condition when she joined her colleagues in one of their annual medical checkups.
And just like most of us, she didn’t bother to look at her lab results until she got a call from her doctor informing her that they found something irregular in one breast.
Curious, she performed a self-breast exam and found a lump — the size of a pearl earring — on her left breast.
These are the stories of Christina Dy and Leah Caringal, living testaments that information and early detection save lives.
“That poster that Christina saw online was posted and made by ICanServe Foundation,” enthused Crisann Celdran, chairwoman of the board, ICanServe Foundation. “That’s a validation of the impact of the work that we do, but also a humble realization that there’s still so much work we need to do.”
Crissan shared Dy’s story at the launch of Yes You Can Do This: A Breast Cancer Patient’s Manual in Makati City.
It was a lively gathering of breast cancer survivors. Who would have thought that these beautiful, gutsy and accomplished women had looked death in the eye, but came out triumphant?
“I didn’t know much about cancer or how to treat it when I was diagnosed 24 years ago,” said Crisann. “Speaking with other survivors and searching online helped minimize the fear and empowered me. The manual is a love letter from survivors to other survivors and their caregivers and families, and one I wish I had access to back then.”
You Can Do This: A Breast Cancer Patient’s Manual is a comprehensive resource designed to support breast cancer patients, survivors, and their caregivers on their journey to wellness. It can be downloaded for free (in English and Filipino) from the ICanServe Foundation website.
Hoping for the breast
“The breast cancer manual is the only of its kind in the country that helps patients navigate their cancer journey from prevention, detection, diagnosis, treatment to survivorship care, palliative care, and even patient navigation,” said Kara Magsanoc-Alikpala, ICanServe Foundation founding president, and vice president for internal affairs, Cancer Coalition Philippines. “The biggest cause of anxiety in the cancer journey is things that the patients don’t know. So we created this manual so the patients and their families know what to expect. It’s kind of like using Waze. It provides information on a multitude of options to take and how long will it take you to get to your destination.”
Nikoy de Guzman, ICanServe Foundation president, couldn’t help but recall her own breast diagnoses.
“Yes, I’ve had it twice, way back in 2002,” she added. “Information about this disease at that time was scarce. So who was my manual? My mom, a breast cancer survivor herself, who took care of me and encouraged me based on her own healing experiences, and her expences while taking care of her mom, my Lola, who unfortunately succumbed to the disease.”
At that time, Nikoy said she had so many questions and wished she knew more.
“But in between my chemo sessions, I was given the first manual, simply called the ICanServe Book,” she said with a hearty laugh. “I read it from cover to cover. It may be mundane to some, but the stuff in there, like where to buy prosthesis, how to tie headpieces, how to contact support groups, were just everything I needed to know, in my journey to wellness.”
Again, who would have thought that after a little more than two decades, the foundation Nikoy came across in that book is now the foundation she humbly leads?
“And today, we are launching another book, a better one written by survivors for survivors, and guided by experts in the field of cancer care,” she enthused. “We came to be a sisterhood like no other.”Well, the Yes You Can Do This is a book like no other as well.
A source of information and encouragement, the manual combines information gleaned from studies and established sources such as the American Cancer Society, as well as personal anecdotes.
It covers a wide range of topics, from the medical (understanding treatment options, managing side effects), to the personal (how to tell your family and friends), to the practical (financing cancer treatment).
“The updated manual is written in layman’s terms to help patients, as well as their families and support groups at different stages on the journey,” said Alya Honasan, a survivor, ICanServe volunteer and the manual’s editor. “It’s a solid, valuable reminder that no breast cancer survivor is ever completely alone in this experience.
Dr. Corazon Ngelangal of the National Integrated Cancer Countrol Council and Philippine Cancer Society supports the manual, saying, “This manual empowers women to take charge of their well-being through self-education, self-assessment, and self-reliance; equipping them with insights on getting the right treatment at the right time.”
What sets this patient manual apart is that it is Philippine- and patient-centered.
“To this day, there are gaps in information for the rich, the middle class, and the poor,” said Kara. “Patients often feel side effects or symptoms that are unacknowledged and unaddressed. We want patients, carers, caregivers and health providers to form a circle of support for patients, and to fully share in the journey, beginning with accurate information and acknowledging the unique and nuanced experience of breast cancer patients.”
And this circle of support equals hope — the one thing you should never take away from a patient.
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To download You Can Do This: A Breast Cancer Patient’s Manual, visit https://www.icanservefoundation.org/patient-manual.