Cardiologist and 2022 vice presidential candidate Willie Ong on Saturday revealed he has been diagnosed with cancer.
In a video dated August 29 and posted on Saturday, Ong, popularly known as “Doc Willie” said he had been in the hospital for several days. He recorded the video to address his followers while he was at his strongest.
Ong recalled that around April 2023, he started experiencing difficulty doing medical missions.
By August 18 or 19 this year, he suffered severe back pain, among other symptoms.
“Worst pain of my life. 10 out of 10. You will cry. It’s an entire night without sleep… The pain is like there is a knife stabbing your back repeatedly,” Ong said in a mix of English and Filipino.
After successive tests, he was finally diagnosed with a rare 16-centimeter sarcoma—one of the largest his doctors had seen—in the abdomen. The tumor was hidden behind the heart and in front of the spine, blocking to various extents Ong’s esophagus, inferior vena cava, and right atrium.
Ong said he has since been undergoing chemotherapy.
Editor’s Note: This is an updated article. Originally posted with the headline “‘Worst pain of my life’: Willie Ong diagnosed with cancer.”
