Our bodies are remarkably resilient. Every single day, they quietly process everything we put them through—the stress, the lack of sleep, the fast-paced routines of modern life. We often take this silent endurance for granted, pushing ourselves to the limit and assuming our health will always hold up. But there comes a point when the body decides to push back. It is a stark reminder that we must proactively care for our bodies today, so they have the strength to care for us in the future.
For my family, that realization came suddenly, turning our world upside down in a matter of months.
The Sudden Shift
It all started in November 2025 when I noticed I was losing weight for no apparent reason. Within just two months, I had dropped almost 6 kilograms. Recognizing that something wasn’t right, my wife and I decided it was time to get a comprehensive executive check-up to uncover what was happening.
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| Us having fun in December not knowing my condition |
In January 2026, I visited a family doctor at Medical Center Taguig (MCT), a private hospital near our home. The doctor ordered a battery of diagnostic tests, including routine blood work, a urinalysis, and a chest X-ray.
A few days later, I returned for the results. The doctor looked over the files and told me that while most of the tests looked completely fine, there was one glaring, highly abnormal finding: my White Blood Cell (WBC) count. A normal, healthy adult typically has a WBC count between 5 and 10 (measured in thousands per microliter).
My blood work showed a staggering count of nearly 400.
Because of this alarming spike, he immediately referred me to a Hematologist—a specialized physician who diagnoses and treats blood disorders and blood cancers. Since MCT rarely had this specific specialist on-site at the time, he recommended we head to St. Luke’s Medical Center in Bonifacio Global City (BGC), where a larger panel of hematologists was available. My wife and I immediately began looking for the earliest possible appointment.
A Sunday Crisis in the ER
Before we could even make it to our scheduled appointment, a chaotic Sunday threw our household into a panic. We suspected our son, Yuan, had contracted Dengue fever, so my wife rushed him to the Emergency Room at MCT.
Meanwhile, I stayed home with our daughter, Gabby. We were in the middle of playing Spider-Man on the PS4 when a wave of severe dizziness hit me. Something felt deeply, terrifyingly wrong. I began to panic, completely overwhelmed by the strange sensations in my body and mind. It felt as though a dark cloud was hanging over me, warning me that something catastrophic was about to happen.
We called on our nearby friends, who rushed to our house and drove me straight to the same ER where my wife and son were. Once there, I was admitted for observation. The ER doctor suggested a blood infusion, but because I knew about my massive WBC count from the recent clinic visit, I opted out, fearing how it might affect my already compromised blood density.
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| Yuan and I before going home from MCT |
After several tense hours, the three of us were cleared to go home. Yuan was put on monitoring while we awaited his X-ray results, and my dizziness subsided just enough for us to make it back to the house. But the dread remained.
The Diagnosis: CML vs. AML
The very next day—Monday—I went straight to St. Luke’s BGC to see Dr. Abraham Malala, a Hematologist.
Looking over my lab results, Dr. Malala delivered the news directly: I likely had Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML).
To help me understand, he contrasted CML with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML):
- AML (Acute Myeloid Leukemia): A fast-growing cancer where abnormal white blood cells rapidly crowd out healthy cells, requiring immediate, aggressive inpatient chemotherapy.
- CML (Chronic Myeloid Leukemia): A slower-progressing form of blood cancer that typically develops over years and is often managed effectively using targeted oral medications rather than traditional intravenous chemotherapy.
Hearing that I wouldn't need to endure grueling cycles of standard chemotherapy brought an immense wave of relief. Yet, the heavy, suffocating fear of the word "cancer" still lingered in the room.
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| Check up day with Dr. Malala |
Facing the Bone Marrow Biopsy
To confirm the diagnosis and determine the exact genetic profile of the disease, Dr. Malala explained that I needed to undergo a Bone Marrow Biopsy. I had never known anyone in my life who had undergone this procedure, and the thought of it filled me with deep anxiety.
How a Bone Marrow Biopsy Works
A bone marrow biopsy is a procedure used to collect a small sample of the liquid bone marrow (aspiration) and a core of solid bone tissue. The doctor typically targets the posterior iliac crest, which is the back portion of the hip bone located in the lower back/pelvic area. The patient lies on their stomach or side, the area is thoroughly cleaned and numbed, and a specialized needle is inserted into the bone to extract the samples.
Dr. Malala offered us two distinct pathways for the procedure:
- Inpatient Admission (24 Hours): Performed in a standard hospital room using local anesthesia only.
- Operating Room (OR) Procedure: Performed under full conscious sedation so I would sleep through it entirely.
The first option was significantly cheaper. When I asked about the cost, he estimated around 100,000 PHP for the entire process, including the crucial BCR-ABL PCR test—a highly sensitive molecular test required to detect the specific abnormal gene that causes CML. While other diagnostic centers offered cheaper biopsy packages, they were incomplete and lacked the critical genetic testing required for a precise leukemia protocol.
My wife and I talked it over. Even though our income is higher than the average household in the Philippines, we were still living paycheck to paycheck, and an unexpected six-figure medical bill was a heavy financial blow.
By an bittersweet twist of fate, we had emergency backup funds sitting in our account. That money had been carefully saved for a 4-day vacation to Samal Island in Davao to celebrate Yuan’s upcoming 3rd birthday. Without hesitation, we redirected our vacation funds toward saving my life. We booked the biopsy.
The Procedure
On Tuesday night, I was officially admitted to St. Luke’s BGC. My wife, Rachel, stood steadfastly by my side through it all. We were incredibly blessed to have our kumpare Marlon and his wife Mina, who selflessly drove us to the hospital that evening to ensure we arrived safely.
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| Our friends Marlon and Mina with us at St. Lukes BGC |
The following Wednesday was filled with preparatory tests—blood extractions, an abdominal ultrasound, and a 2D Echo to verify my heart health. By 4:00 PM, Dr. Malala arrived with a team of younger hematologists. He reassured me that the physical extraction would only take about 10 minutes.
After prepping the site on my lower back for nearly half an hour, he administered the local anesthesia and proceeded to dig into my hip bone. The extraction itself took about 5 to 8 minutes. Thanks to the local numbing agent, it wasn't intensely sharp or agonizingly painful, but the physical sensation was incredibly bizarre. I could feel a deep, heavy pressure pulling directly from the core of my skeletal system—a distinct suction feeling inside the bone.
Trying to break the tension in the room, I looked over at Rachel and joked:
"Alam ko na feeling ng sinusutsot."
It felt exactly like sucking the rich marrow out of the bone when eating a hot bowl of Bulalo.
A few hours later, I was discharged. I walked out of the hospital with a heavily bandaged, incredibly sensitive lower back. It would take more than a full month for that deep ache to heal and completely fade away.
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| With my wife Rachel |
Fighting the Side Effects
The day after the biopsy, Dr. Malala started me on a first-generation oral targeted therapy called Imatinib, which I was to take for one month while we waited for the official biopsy results.
Navigating this medication presented an entirely new challenge. Imatinib isn't available at typical commercial pharmacies; we had to source it from specialized drug providers, making supply management a constant worry. Furthermore, it cost roughly 300 PHP per 400mg tablet, adding an unexpected 9,000 PHP per month to our living expenses.
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| Rachel bought me this Lazyboy so I could rest my painful feet |
The first week on Imatinib went relatively smoothly, though I still battled occasional panic attacks. The second week, however, hit me hard. I began experiencing brutal, agonizing muscle cramps in my legs, especially at night. The pain was so intense that I woke up every single hour, unable to get any deep sleep.
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| Fam adjusted and slept with me in the living room |
I initially tried combating the cramps with magnesium supplements, but true relief only came when I started taking Biogesic (Paracetamol) right before bed. It successfully managed the pain enough to let me sleep uninterrupted for 4 to 6 hours at a time. Along with the cramps, I drenched my sheets in heavy night sweats during that first month—a clear sign that my body was aggressively reacting to the chemical shift.
Shifting Strategy and Looking Forward
A couple of weeks later, the final biopsy and molecular reports came back, confirming the CML diagnosis. My BCR-ABL level was at 5%, but because certain indicators classified me as a high-risk patient, Dr. Malala advised a more aggressive treatment plan. He recommended we bypass the first-generation drug and switch to a second-generation tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) called Nilotinib.
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| Nilotinib |
He walked Rachel and me through the potential side effects of Nilotinib, which included dry skin, rashes, and a rare risk of cardiac arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat). That explains why my earlier 2D Echo heart test had been so vital—thankfully, my heart showed great structural health.
Hearing about these new risks brought a complex wave of emotions: fear of potential cardiac complications, but a profound sense of hope that this stronger medicine would completely suppress the leukemia cells. Rachel and I agreed to the shift, willing to do whatever it takes.
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| We had lunch outside when I could walk a little |
A Village of Support: My Deepest Gratitude
If this experience has taught me anything, it is that no one fights cancer alone. While the medicine fights the disease inside my body, it is the love and support of the people around me that keeps my mind and spirit alive.
To my Mama, Jessica: Thank you for taking care of me during those dark days when I could barely stand or walk. Thank you for stepping in to look after Gabby and Yuan so that Rachel could finally get the rest and sleep she desperately needed during the day. Your strength kept our home running.
To my wife, Rachel: Most of all, I thank you. You have been with me since Day 1, carrying this heavy burden, walking through every hospital door, and fighting this battle right alongside me. I couldn't do this without you.
To Marlon and Mina: Thank you for always keeping me in your prayers, and for being our ride to the hospital on the night it mattered most.
To Pau and Beb: Having you as our neighbors has been a true blessing. Thank you for always being there the very moment we need help.
To Eli and the Manalo Family: Thank you for keeping us fed and sending love our way when we needed the comfort.
To Bheng and her sister: Thank you from the bottom of my heart for helping me source and secure free medicines, easing a financial weight that felt so heavy to bear.
And to those who send their, "kumusta"—which really mattered to me.
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| Mama's cooking our daily meals |
My body pushed back, but with the right treatment, an incredible medical team, and a village of family and friends holding me up, I am pushing back harder.
Five Months In
Today, I am five months into my treatment journey, having spent the last three months strictly on Nilotinib. This coming month, July 2026, marks a critical milestone: my next BCR-ABL check via a highly sensitive PCR blood test.
The journey from an unexpected weight loss to a cancer diagnosis has been a grueling test of faith, finances, and physical endurance. But as I look at my wife and my children, Yuan and Gabby, I am reminded of why we fight. My body pushed back, but with the right medicine, an incredible support system, and a renewed commitment to take care of my health, I am pushing back harder. We are hoping for the absolute best.
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