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Friday, March 29, 2024

How a cancer survivor coped with the disease

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“In going through cancer, it is important to take it slow—one day at a time,” said Gia Sison, a doctor specializing in Occupational Medicine, a TV host, and a breast cancer survivor. 

How a cancer survivor coped with the disease
Dr. Gia Sison, a mental health and cancer patient advocate

She has been cancer-free since 2013 and according to her, having a positive mindset and support group helped her win against the disease.

Small milestones matter

“Be grateful for the small things. I’ve learned to be thankful if I don’t vomit after a session of chemotherapy or if I get appetite at all that would push me to eat. It’s about being grateful of the small things that you tend to overlook,” said Dr. Sison, who’s also a mental health advocate.

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She also underscored the value of family in helping her go through the challenging period. She stressed, “You can’t fight this alone. You need a strong support system and you usually get this from your family.”

Dr. Sison may have developed the right values and mindset and have had steady support from loved ones, but she admitted to having difficulty accepting her condition.

Keep the faith

“I discovered the lump on my left breast incidentally. I knew right away that the lump was breast cancer. It had the characteristics of breast cancer: it was fixed, it had no definite shape, and it was big. I wanted to have mastectomy right away, before even having a biopsy,” she recalled. 

At first, she was in denial, ignored her symptoms. “There have been many times that I wanted to deny that I was sick, or sad, or that I had to rest,” she shared. “It took me humility and courage to be myself, to admit that I was sick, that I had to set aside my knowledge as a doctor and deal with cancer as a patient.” 

Fortunately her friend, who’s also a doctor, convinced her to go through the whole process, from diagnosis to treatment.

“I had the biopsy and found out that I had stage 2 breast cancer. My diagnosis made me realize first-hand the importance of early testing. The earlier the cancer stage, the easier it is to treat. Early detection really saves lives. I’m scared myself, until now, because I undergo testing every year to ensure that my disease hasn’t recurred. But it really takes courage to face your fears,” she emphasized. 

Dr. Sison underwent six cycles of chemotherapy with the faith that her journey would soon be over and that she would live. “Faith kept me going. Faith will help a lot in making the journey better, that there is something greater than us that’s in control.”

“I want to emphasize that there is hope after diagnosis. At third chemo cycle, I wanted to stop and discontinue my treatment. But before I knew it, I was already at my sixth and final cycle. Don’t let a diagnosis define you because the brain, your mindset, can be powerful against cancer.”

An advocate for patients

Her experience with cancer strengthened her compassion as a doctor especially in her dealings with patients. It also pushed her to advocate patients and to form a support group for those suffering from not just cancer, but chronic illnesses in general. 

Dr. Sison is a cancer patient advocate fighting with the Hope From Within: Cancer Game Plan PH which espouses early detection, access to treatment, and improved patient navigation system in the Philippines. 

How a cancer survivor coped with the disease
Dr. Sison’s experience proves that good social support from family, loved ones, and even doctors helps ease the emotional pain brought by cancer.

“Our goal is that no patient dies because they don’t have financial support and access to treatment. Everyone should get the chance to live and fight. We need funding, that is a given, and also increase access to clinical trials, to doctors and specialists, and to diagnosis and treatment facilities even in far-flung areas in the Philippines,” she said.  

She added that the group needs more volunteers to help care for cancer patients and to create a more centralized hub that will assist them throughout their journey.

The recently launched Hope From Within: Cancer Game Plan PH is a campaign that aims to put the patients at the heart of the fight against the dreaded disease. 

Using powerful voices from leaders, advocates, policymakers, survivors, support groups, and patients, it boosts awareness of proper cancer care, sparks conversations and actions on how to reduce the burden of cancer-related mortalities and other challenges, and spreads information and increases access to new scientifically proven treatment options such as immunotherapy and targeted therapies. 

Go to www.hopefromwithin.org to know where cancer patients can get support. 

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