"The highlight of my week is my chemo because I get to talk with people," tawa ng 33-taong gulang na si Maureen Roco.
Patuloy ang pagiging masiyahin ni Maureen kahit nilalabanan niya ang breast cancer at lungkot na dala ng COVID-19 pandemic at pangungulila sa kanyang anak.
Highlights
- Maureen ay dumadaan ngayon sa chemotherapy para sa breast cancer.
- Dahil sa pandemic, hindi natuloy ang pagbisita ng kanyang anak.
- Ang suporta ng kanyang mga mahak sa buhay at ang kanyang magandang disposisyon ang tumutulong kay Maureen para labanan ang kanyang sakit.
Diagnosis
Di makapaniwala si Maureen ng malaman niya nung Pebrero na may breast cancer siya.
"I thought - Is this really happening to me? Then I became sad because when I thought of cancer, I thought of death. I didn't think of the pain. I thought of my son and my loved ones."
Habang saad ni Maureen na tinawagan niya agad ang kanyang mga mahal sa buhay, hindi pa niya ito sinasabi sa kanyang anak.
"My mum passed from cancer and to this day, I remember what it felt like when she told us she was sick."
Maureen is currently an international student in Australia. Source: Maureen Roco
"Sometimes, I feel like I'm ready to tell my son, then I FaceTime with him, I see his face and I just can't. I just can't tell him while he's not with me. "
Nakatira ang 11-na taong gulang niyang anak sa Pilipinas kasama ang ama nito.
"My son and ex were supposed to come visit me this April. I had everything prepared. I was going to tell my son during the visit, but the pandemic happened."
The pandemic presents challenges for Maureen whose cancer and chemotherapy treatment have left her immuno-compromised. Source: Maureen Roco
Chemotherapy
"It's when I started chemo that it really dawned on me that I had cancer. I didn't feel sick - most people who have breast cancer are asymptomatic. I just felt that I had a lump on my breast - that's why I got myself checked."
Pagkatapos niyang matingnan, agad-agad siyang iniskedyul para sa chemotherapy.
"I got diagnosed on my 13th month here so, my insurance covered my $30,000 treatment. Back in the Philippines, no company would pay for that. So even if I don't have my family here, I chose to stay."
"The process of getting chemo was so quick. I had no time to absorb it." Source: Maureen Roco
"The process of getting chemo was so quick. I had no time to absorb it. I had no time for a pity party. In a way, it was good because my mind went immediately to getting better."
Ayon kay Maureen, una niya talagang naramdaman ang kanyang sakit pagkatapos ng una niyang chemo. Hindi rin gumana ang unang gamot na binigay sa kanya.
Maureen decided to cut her hair shorter when her hair started falling off because of chemo. Source: Maureen Roco
"Now, I'm okay. Every time I go to chemo, I have a big laugh with the people there."
"I didn't think my hair would fall off because it was so thick, long and wavy. But after the initial strong medicine, it started falling off. It wasn't working though so they shifted me to a weaker, weekly treatment."
Dahil mas mahina na ang gamot niya ngayon, may buhok pa siyang natira. Nagsusuot na lamang siya ng wig o turban para matakpan ang kanyang bald spot.
Maureen sporting a wig and a turban. Source: Maureen Roco
Pasasalamat
Malaki ang pasasalamat ni Maureen sa mga kaibigang sumusuporta at tumutulong sa kanya.
"I saved money before I got sick, but I was worried about my rent and bills because I wouldn't be able to work once I got too weak."
"My friends set up a GoFundMe page for me. It was so touching. So many people from around the world donated. How can I not fight when people are rooting for me?"
Maureen is grateful for the support system she has in Australia and the Philippines. Source: Maureen Roco
Patuloy ang laban niya. Ayon kay Maureen, lumiit na ang tumor niya.
"I still have seven chemo sessions to go, then I'm done. Next would be the lumpectomy to remove whatever is left in my breast. After that, I don't know," she shares, adding, "It can be overwhelming, so I'm just taking it one day at a time."
BASAHIN / PAKINGGAN DIN
