Maretis
After a decade, she is enjoying life. Travelling to place she never been before and seen her children grow. True, cancer was definitely not a life sentence. She lived through the storm.
Cancer
It was like the movie “fast and furious” because one day she felt something and the next was her breast was removed. Then proceeded with Chemo sessions. She only felt numb on her side or arm and a lump on her breast. So she decided for a check up. She wasn’t sure of what it was but her mind was opened for the possibilities.
Treatment
Oh! There were a lot of treatments. Ranging from minor surgery to a major one, with Chemo sessions. Laboratory exams to fishbone diagram. She only used her sick leave only on the day of the exams. She was working while all the other exams were performed and while waiting for the results.
Finances. Being sick means financial support and darn it’s not all the time it is available to all. The minor operation, removing her lump. Her doctor arranged for a very minimal expense surgery. Lucky enough she was able to fix some financial help from her manager lending her about 10K for the surgery. The fish bone diaphragm cost some amount too and we could only pray where we were going to get the funds. Oh no! I volunteered to do the work, working on processing her documents at our cooperative to outsource funds and make a work-around to produce funds in time for her major surgery. And she was just, faithfully praying and entrust everything. We used her medical insurance later for the general surgery and it was only worth 150K and there were others to be considered along with other expenses. Her hubby was only a jeepney driver who tends the needs of the kids while she worked.
Magna Carta (Womens Reproductive Health Bill)
Guess she was lucky at that time that Magna carta was implemented to support reproductive help for women? Oh no! We applied with HR and was turned down for so many reasons. Frustration and despair mixed up that time when she was about to be operated. My main concern was that no funds, no extra funds for her to use in another emergency case. I was not the most influential person in the plant but I made good connections with influential people which was why I thought I was placed there to process her papers for things to go smoothly? Oh please, I had no time to think like this. All I know was she needed all the help she need to get through the storm. Luckily I directed myself to her ma’am, senior manager who was so eager to listen to my plea. Little did I know she worked it out with HR, thankfully it was approved.
She enjoyed a lot of benefits including monthly allowance for 24 months during her chemo sessions and healing period. Not only monetary but also enjoying the leaves.
Recovering
I could still recall her undergoing chemo therapy. I went to visit after all the documentation were processed. It was her 2nd session and her hair started to fall. When I combed her hair, a lump of hair was immediately on my hand and how she loved her hair. So not get depressed, she immediately shaved her hair and invited me to shop for wigs with her. oh how gullible she was! Despite all the loss of a breast to hair falling, it was immediately replaced with happy-jolly her. Yes, the entire breast was removed to ensure no spread to the follicles and to the other breast.
Amidst the trials, she remained. Strong? If this was the definition of strong… I don’t know, she was, like I said gullible. She had moments of emotional bouts and tears streamed down her eyes every now and then. I witnessed the whole process. Now, she doesn’t even look like she went through all these. And when I posted our pictures on FB, a former colleague really asked if she really had cancer. And I am truly thankful to be given the opportunity to share and witness the experience together.
Thanks again for being here to share this story. God bless.
November 04, 2021
