PCMC: The poorest, smallest cancer patients deserve treatment

 

Like most mothers, Marivic Miranda has simple dreams for her only daughter, two-year-old Sabrina—for her to grow up healthy, finish schooling, and, most of all, for her little princess not to get married early.

But navigating this world just got a bit harder for little Sabrina, who was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL), or cancer of the white blood cells, in January. What Marivic first thought was simple anemia turned out to be more serious, when Sabrina’s pediatrician advised them to have her examined in Manila.

“Lagi siyang may sipon, may ubo, may lagnat. Pag sinipon siya, nagiiba yung kulay niya, namumutla siya, medyo nagyeyellow. Tapos lagi niyang hinihimas yung tiyan niya. Nung pinacheck namin, akala namin anemia lang,” Marivic told GMA News Online Tuesday, which was also Wolrd Cancer Day.

Other than the devastating effects of cancer on Sabrina’s body—the once gregarious child who would laugh and smile at strangers while running around cannot walk anymore—the economic repercussions are hitting the family hard.

Hailing from Bicol Region in the southern tip of Luzon, Marivic, her husband Samuel and Sabrina have moved to the CHILD House in Quezon City, a temporary shelter for indigent cancer patients from the provinces who have no place to stay in Metro Manila while undergoing medical treatment.

But for mothers like Marivic, the cancer diagnosis is no reason to completely lose hope.

According to Dr. Julius Lecciones, executive director of Philippine Children’s Medical Center (PCMC), childhood leukemia is a highly curable disease in children. However, he follows it with a caveat: the disease, which accounts for about 40 to 60 percent of childhood cancers, remains the top killer at PCMC, more than dengue shock syndrome, sepsis and prematurity combined.

Lecciones explained that leukemia remains a killer since medicines to treat the disease remain expensive, and some parents of patients would rather turn to faith healers or alternative medicines, until it is almost too late to save their children.

“The cost of chemotherapy remains a major barrier, as is the problem of where to go for affordable, quality health care,” he said.

“Wala [na kaming income]. Naubos na lahat ng ipon namin eh, pabalikbalik na kami sa ospital, umaasa na lang kami sa donations,” Marivic admitted, when asked where she gets money for Sabrina’s treatments.

But it’s not always gloomy for Sabrina, who started her first round of chemotherapy last week. Marivic says there are moments she sees shadows of her daughter’s old cheerful self.

“May time na nakakalimutan ko na may sakit siya. Kasi pag di siya matamlay parang wala naman siyang sakit. Pero naaalala ko pag nakikita kong di siya makalakad, bigla kong maaalala na may sakit siyang leukemia,” she said.

PhilHealth

For families like Marivic’s, there is hope in the form of the PhilHealth system, which offers the Z package, for illnesses that require prolonged hospitalization and expensive treatments, including childhood leukemia.

Marivic said she and Samuel are trying to get enrolled in the program.

Samuel used to work as an Overseas Contract Worker, but he was forced to come home when Sabrina’s hospitalizations increased in frequency. Marivic admits the diagnosis was hard for both of them to swallow.

“Yung mister ko nagaabroad siya dati. Pinauwi ko siya nung time na pabalik-balik na kami sa hospital. Sinabi na sa akin ni doctora parang leukemia na. Sabi ko ‘Doc, wag namang ganun, wala namang leukemia yung anak ko,’ pero sabi ko rin aba malay natin. Alam na niya yung mga signs,” she said.

But Dr. Lecciones said that it was precisely the initial refusal to accept a diagnosis that leads to more deaths related to childhood cancers in the country.

“Around 77 percent of PCMC patients are service patients. Without financial assistance coming from different sources, many of them will not survive,” he added.

Which is why the the theme of World Cancer Day this year is to debunk myths: that there is no reason to talk about cancer, that there are no symptoms, that there is nothing a person can do about cancer, and that one has no right to a cancer cure.

For Marivic, the assurance that her daughter can recover from the illness through proper treatment is what gives her hope to go on.

“Parang ang hirap tanggapin na leukemia yung sakit ng anak ko. Kasi pag sinabing leukemia parang wala nang lunas. Sabi ng doktor, pwede naman daw. Pwede palang magamot,” she said, recounting her dreams for Sabrina.

“Ang gusto ko lang naman, lumaki yan ng normal. Gusto ko siyempre matapos siya sa pagaaral, magkaroon ng mabuting buhay. Bahala na siya sa trabahong gusto niya, pero gusto ko gayahin niya ako, 29 na nagpakasal, kasi mahirap yung buhay pag nagpakasal agad,” she said, smiling. — BM, GMA News