ShareThis“I honor you for the last time.” Thus, did Pilar bid life and her mother goodbye in Chapter 44 (last week’s issue) and thus did the novel Mag-inang Mahirap end.
Thank you, dear readers, for joining me in this literary journey. When Valeriano Hernandez y Peña wrote Mag-inang Mahirap in 1905-1906, he was writing a piece of contemporary fiction. However, from our vantage point of 2010, it is historical fiction.
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While we were engrossed in the fictional world of Pilar, Alberto, Julia, and Juan, my family and I were dealing with the big C in real life. While Mag-inang Mahirap ended with several deaths, we were victorious over cancer. Let me share with you our story.
Most things were going well for us till the first week of May 2010 when Ezra, my daughter-in-law, was told by an oncologist at the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) in Manila that she had stage 3 uterine cancer.
Businesslike and in-your-face, the oncologist told her (and my son Butch) that she should undergo surgery, but because her cancer was aggressive, her post-surgical life span would probably be five years at the most.
What could be more honest and straightforward than that?
What could be more devastating than that? Ezra was sobbing on the phone and so was I. She’s only 37 and her young children are aged 9 and 7. (My family lives in the Philippines while I work in Singapore.)
I wanted to fly home, but it was May and in the university where I teach in Singapore, faculty members were busy with end-of-semester marking of term papers and exams. Leaves are discouraged. I didn’t dare apply for a leave.
But God showed His face to us in more ways than one.
Immediately after Ezra’s phone call, my academic head told me she’s sending me to the Philippines on official leave to run a teacher training workshop, and she approved my personal leave to stay one week longer so I could be with my family.
Feeling lost and helpless, Butch and Ezra were ‘led’ to a healing mass celebrated by Father Fernando Suarez, CC, in Alfonso, Cavite, Philippines on May 8, 2010.
On May 11, they went to another oncologist at the Manila Doctors Hospital for a second opinion. They were told that the cancer was only in its first stage and an immediate surgery would contain the abnormal growth. The doctor was kind and re-assuring. So a radical hysterectomy (removal of the uterus, ovaries, fallopian tubes, etc) was decided upon.
But we didn’t have the big amount of money required for the procedure. A friend immediately offered a soft loan, payable whenever able. And help – material, emotional, spiritual — poured out from everywhere.
The surgery was successful, but the surgeon/oncologist recommended a combined 6-week radiation and chemotherapy to zap the aggressive cancer cells. Surgery took out the tumor, but some naughty cells escaped and are on the loose.
The outpatient radio/chemo therapy started on July 6. My son told me that watching his wife ‘die’ slowly was killing him. While 25% up to 40% of patients survive the poison-and-burn therapy of mainstream medicine, my daughter-in-law obviously belonged to the other side of the equation.
Ezra couldn’t eat, couldn’t sleep, kept throwing up, had diarrhea, felt dizzy, had headaches, felt cold-then-hot, and lost weight very fast. She looked like a zombie: sunken eyes with black rings and sunken cheeks. Butch said he was horrified seeing Ezra shrink and shrivel before his very eyes.
On the morning of July 18, my son said he found his wife gasping for breath. He put her in the car and he sped off to a nearby hospital breaking all the traffic rules and driving right into the door of the emergency ward.
Ezra was given oxygen support in the nick of time and she was saved from imminent death. Lab tests showed that there was hardly any oxygen in her blood due to chemo poisoning.
Conferring with both the surgeon/oncologist and the radiation oncologist, my son decided to ‘suspend’ the radio/chemo therapy. The doctors said it should be resumed once Ezra becomes well enough.
When Ezra was discharged from the hospital on July 20, she and Butch decided that they would “walk by faith, not by sight.” (2 Corinthians 5:7) They felt that they had done everything that mainstream medicine had to offer at a very high cost. Ezra almost died.
With Ezra’s remaining ounce of life, she implored Mother Mary to intercede for her complete healing. Together with Butch and the two children, she prayed the rosary every day, everywhere. They didn’t skip a day for whatever reason.
As a family, they turned to food and juice therapy both as cancer cure and prevention. They gave up meat, milk and dairy products, sweets, and processed food/juice. They went organic whenever feasible.
Butch said he knew that it was important to detoxify Ezra. We live in Southern Luzon where there’s plenty of coconut trees and we believe in the folk wisdom that young coconut water (buko juice) rehydrates, detoxifies, and nourishes the body at the same time.
So Butch asked an itinerant vendor to deliver buko to their doorstep every day. All of them drank tons of buko juice.
Ezra needed to boost her immunity so her body can heal naturally. I suggested malunggay (moringa oleifera) and soursop, in addition to the cancer-fighting asparagus, broccoli, and shiitake mushroom.
They listened to worship songs and classical music, they read inspirational books, and watched comedy films (laughter is therapy). They celebrated each day of togetherness as a family.
After two weeks, Ezra gained three precious pounds! Her body was healing on food therapy and faith.
On September 21, Ezra went to her oncologist for a check-up. She was feeling great, but she wanted to be absolutely sure. Lo and behold, the oncologist declared that she was cancer-free. Cured. Healed.
Where does the title of this column fit?
The Blessed Virgin Mary is said to personify the humility of nothingness. She is a creature; God is her Creator. She is totally dependent on God.
Christians believe that the peace of Christ is a state of being where there is a climate of fullness. Thus, it is totally wise to totally depend on God.
We learned these things in a very real way. What could be more humbling than to beg for one’s life? What could be fuller than a cup overflowing with life, love and faith?