Dreams for long life

Hilda Co Ong wanted to be a doctor when she was young.  When her family was unable to support her dream, she settled for a course in accounting at the University of Santo Tomas.  Little did she know that her painful journey would lead to her life’s dream. 

Hilda’s battle with cancer is not her own.  Her high school sweetheart and husband, Jonah, was diagnosed with nasopharyngeal cancer (cancerous tumor at the back of the nose toward the base of a skull) early in marriage.  This prompted Hilda to devote most of her time tending to her husband’s medical needs for the next five years.  While the hospital became their second home, Hilda self-studied on the disease and closely worked with doctors to help ease her husband’s suffering.  Sadly, in 1990, Jonah finally succumbed to his ailment.

In the same year, Hilda’s health suffered and she underwent radical hysterectomy.  She also sadly witnessed the demise of her brother, Jarvis, and sister-in-law, Ediren, also due to cancer diseases.  After her recovery, Hilda was asked to work again to the family’s business.  Hilda spent several years working for the electrical supply company.  While the work provided for her two children, Jhon Henson and Jeff Hanzen, she felt confined with the clerical and administrative work.  With sheer determination and strength, she left the company and ventured on to support her family on her own.

For the following years, Hilda was able to put up and manage two hair salons.  While financially stable, Hilda felt the calling of a higher purpose.  Guided by years of experience spent caring for her husband and relatives, she now sought to help other patients suffering from cancer.  To this end, Hilda created Long Life Distributor Pharmaceutical to make available alternative medicine and food supplement to cancer patients.

 

“At Long Life, we import alternative medicine and herbal food supplements for cancer patients.  We want to teach patients and caregivers the best care when undergoing chemotherapy and radiation therapy.  It is also important for cancer patients not to lose hope and employ positive thinking when fighting cancer,” shares Hilda.  “This way, we can ease the pain and agony of cancer patients.”

“These are my goals right now.  I will not stop searching for the best alternative for preventing cancer.  Cancer patients or their relatives can come for my advice any time,” says Hilda.  Interested parties can come to Long Life Distributor Pharmaceutical, Inc. at 913 Benavidez Street, Binondo, Manila.  Listeners can also check Hilda’s “Health & Travel @ Serbisyo Publiko” radio program over DWBL 1242 and DWDD 1134 kHz.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month

On breast cancer, Dr. Rachael Marie B. Rosario, Executive Director of Philippine Cancer Society Inc, stressed the need to strengthen advocacy efforts on early detection among Filipino women. “Breast cancer is a curable disease when detected, treated and managed early,” she said.

Early detection of breast cancer need not be tedious.  Right after the menstrual cycle, women should undergo breast exams regularly and look for changes or signs out of the ordinary.  This type of exam, that takes only several minutes, can also be done to one self.

BSE when laying down.

My take:  Be a sister and spread the awareness and information on breast cancer.  Please encourage and teach other women to conduct the breast self-exam.  If you have a daughter in her 20s, it is time to teach her this important life lesson.

As women we should be aware of how our breasts normally look and feel.  If there are noticeable changes even at the slightest, these are to be reported to a medical professional immediately.  However, please take note that a breast change does not necessarily mean it is a sign of cancer.

For a step by step guide on how to conduct the breast self-exam (BSE), please refer to www.cancer.org.

The instructional piece describes how to perform the BSE correctly right at the comfort of your own room.  The BSE should be done while lying down and standing up in front of a mirror.

From the 2010 Philippine Cancer Facts and Estimates released by the Philippine Cancer Society, breast cancer remains at first rank among women, accounting for almost 30 percent of all female malignancies.  The data also shows that with breast cancer, the 5-year relative survival rate for Pinays is at 47 percent.  The incidence rate of having breast cancer starts rising steeply at age 30.

On the same note, the data reveals that three out of every 100 Filipinas are likely to develop breast cancer in their lifetime and that one out of every 100 is likely to die from the disease before age 75.

Hot Tip:  Before conducting the BSE, I suggest you place yourself in a relaxed mood, take your time and do not breeze through the process.