The many senses of a Woman

MANILA, Philippines - Every woman is a mother, wife, daughter, sister and friend. Given these important roles that the woman portrays during her lifetime, she needs to put premium on her health. For a mother in particular, good health is her weapon as she treads the path of motherhood.

Dr. Cecilia Ladines-Llave explains that every woman needs to be empowered with the right information on how to take care of herself for her to be able to fulfill her many roles as a woman.

“The mother is very important. She needs to be assured that when her children get older; they can stand on their own. But if the mother dies early, how will she guide her children? The first career of all women should be health because we need to be there for our children,” says Llave, chairman of the Cancer Institute, University of Philippines-Philippine General Hospital; and program director of the Cervical Cancer Prevention (CECAP) Network of the Philippines.

“Our number one goal is to empower women to have the awareness and knowledge that health should be the priority in life because their number one goal is to be always there for their children, husband, family,” she adds.

Worldwide, a woman dies of cervical cancer every minute. In the Philippines, for every three Filipino women diagnosed with cervical cancer, one will die within the year. And for every for Filipino women diagnosed with cervical cancer, three will die in five years.

Cervical cancer develops in the cervix, the opening between the uterus and the vagina. It occurs when normal cells in the cervix change into cancer cells.

Early cervical cancer, although treatable has no symptoms. This can only be detected through regular screening. Late stage of cervical cancer may carry the following symptoms: abnormal vaginal bleeding, foul smell, purulent discharge, pelvic pain, unexplained weight loss and urinary or bowel difficulties. 

Llave notes that cervical cancer can be prevented by boosting immunity, leading a healthy lifestyle, and vaccination. “Long before you get cervical cancer or HPV infection, you should put your life in order through healthy living, proper nutrition, exercise, and good sleep. At least six hours of sleep is important for our body to be able to rest.” 

Preventive medicine is also important. “When women reach 40, their bodies are aging. You have you car tuned up regularly because you don’t want to get into accidents. Why not do the same to your body? This is our number one message. We want to empower women with the message that they can control their health and they can be healthy all the time,” Llave says.

“Almost two-thirds that come to us have been diagnosed late when nothing much can be done. Cervical cancer can be treated only if this is diagnosed early. Early detection is the purpose of Pap smear. If it is diagnosed very late already, it would be difficult. This is very ironic because we know now that cervical cancer can be treated and prevented because there is an HPV vaccine,” she adds.

Screening for cervical cancer helps healthcare providers detect precancerous or early cancer lesions so these are caught at a curable stage. A woman who is not screened is five times at risk for developing cervical cancer.

Pap smear is a screening method which may be done yearly, or every two to three years after the age of 30 if you have had three consecutive negative smears. In this method, cells are scraped from the cervix to detect if there are cancer or pre-cancer cells.

HPV vaccination protects against HPV 16 and 18 which cause 70 percent of cervical cancers worldwide. This vaccine is now available for women 9 to 10 years old and above.

Llave notes that as the nation celebrates Mother’s Day, it is fitting to highlight the fact that the woman takes on important roles in life. Thus, every woman needs to be strong and healthy to be able to fulfill her many responsibilities as a woman.

CECAP is working to eliminate cervical cancer amongst Filipino women. The network is committed to empower Filipinos against this disease by increasing awareness and providing access to screening linked to treatment. The CECAP Center is located at 2nd floor, Cancer Institute, University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital, Taft Ave., Manila (567-4274), email [email protected] and website www.cecaphil.org.

Surviving the C

It is terribly painful for a mother to lose a son to leukemia (cancer of the blood). And with barely months after the tragic loss, the mother finds out that she has cervical cancer. The possibility of her dying means that her other son will lose his mother. There may not be enough words to describe the pain.

Angeline Presa, 43, shares this story to The STAR in a bid tell the nation of mothers that strength, even in the most difficult times, may be culled from your kids.

In 2006, she lost her then 18-year-old son to leukemia after only four months of battling the disease. In this same year, she had to undergo several tests in Philippine General Hospital (PGH) all the way from their home in General Trias, Cavite. She later found out that she has cervical cancer, stage 2B which if not treated well would eventually lead to a more advanced stage.

“I asked my doctor, ‘Dr, mamatay na po ba ako?’ I cannot afford the treatments. I have already asked for financial help from all our relatives for the treatments of my son,” Presa says in the vernacular. 

The doctor offered her hope, telling her that there are several private companies and non-government organizations (NGOs) helping cancer patients in need.

In tears, she broke the sad news to her son and husband.

With the recent death of his Kuya in mind, Presa was asked by her son, “Kuya died of cancer. Will you leave me too?”

She initially did not want to go through the treatments. “How will I fight this battle against cancer? We do not have the money.”

But she eventually realized that wanted to see her son finish high school and also see her grandson in due time. “I then went through six chemotherapy sessions. I felt weak every time I undergo these treatments. But I always ask God to make me strong for my family,” Presa says.

But the first phase of treatment did not quite succeed. She was told that the cancer cells remain and she had to go through another round of chemotherapy sessions with higher dosage.

“I had to ask for financial help from SMART Cervical Fund, some politicians, NGOs, PCSO (Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office), and Red Cross for my blood transfusions. There were times when I thought I was really dying,” Presa says.

“I always ask for strength from God. All my doctors are helping me and telling me that I can survive this battle. I told myself that I will keep on fighting,” she adds.

In April 2008 and after second round of chemotherapy sessions, she was declared free from cervical cancer. “I was very thankful to the Lord for making me strong and for healing me. Now, I only need to go to PGH every three months for check-ups,” Presa says.

During her battle against cervical cancer, Presa says she learned the value of fighting strong for life. And as a mother, she drew strength from her son to enable her to win the most difficult battle of her life.