Her name is Esperanza, which in Spanish means “Hope,” a fitting name for this 61-year-old widow, a teacher who lives in Bago City, Negros Occidental with her only child, an adult daughter.
Since she felt a lump in her breast in 2008, hope is certainly what has been keeping Nanay Esperanza going, living with Breast Cancer for the last fourteen years.
When we talk to her, the Stage 2 HER2-positive breast cancer patient is staying in a room courtesy of a kind-hearted churchmate. She is grateful for the cool weather and the rains this afternoon, and talks of the person who has also been giving her reason to look beyond the pain and challenges of each day…
A literal sister who has been sharing Nanay Esperanza’s journey, being a cancer patient herself.
Nanay Esperanza’s older sister is a Stage 4 endometrial cancer patient. For decades now, she has been serving as a good example to Esperanza, managing her condition with an all-fresh, no-meat diet and an upbeat outlook on life. Nanay Esperanza and her 74-year-old sister share more than a common illness: they both possess a strong will and a determination to overcome the emotional toll that this disease takes on one’s well-being.
At a time when the pain of cancer and her anxieties about the future was overwhelming her, Nanay Esperanza called her sister at 3:00 in the morning. Living in the same compound, her sister ventured out despite the late hour to comfort Nanay Esperanza. Her loving but firm words continue to guide Esperanza in her battle against breast cancer: “We live our lives, not the lives of others. Cherish this life. Easy lang.” In that dark hour, with her sister standing by her side, these words elicited a spark of hope in her heart, a show of support that would not waver in the decades that followed.
Today, Nanay Esperanza, a diabetic, takes inspiration from her elder sister’s healthy lifestyle: drinking lots of Vitamin C, taking lemongrass, guyabano, and turmeric tea, shunning red meat but indulging in a little bite of lechon when she is feeling fine, to satisfy her taste buds. This complements her discipline in attending her radiation therapy sessions, even if it means making a trip to the city at 4:00 in the morning and undergoing hormonal treatment.
At 61, Nanay Esperanza is forging resolutely on, still teaching, tending to some pigs in her small livestock business, and guiding her daughter and young grandchildren, whom she dotes on. With her elder sister and fellow Cancer Warrior as co-traveler in her journey, she continues to hope for healing and long life.
The person who gave her testimonial and/or shared her image and/or likeness in these videos did so freely and voluntarily. All rights reserved 2022