My mom and I are very close.

Maybe it’s because of the close bond that immigrant families usually have. We came to Canada from the Philippines in the late 1980s, following my aunt who had just moved here. We fell in love with this city and proudly call Vancouver our home.

Like many others, we learned to appreciate the beauty and vibrant scenery of Vancouver. I also learned to be grateful for BC’s health care system, especially because of my unexpected health scare almost 10 years ago.

“You have cancer,” those words still echo in my mind sometimes.

I was diagnosed with endometrial cancer. Sometimes called uterine cancer, it is the most common cancer of the female reproductive organs. I am now a statistic—along with 3,900 Canadian women who are diagnosed with this type of cancer every year.

My symptoms appeared during the early stages of the disease, but like most people I didn’t think anything of them at first. When I began to experience more symptoms, I went to Vancouver General Hospital (VGH) and met gynaecologic oncologist, Dr Dianne Miller. At 53, I had my life-saving surgery at VGH; then, when I was strong enough, they supported me through a tough round of chemotherapy. I am so grateful to Dr Miller and her team for saving my life. I returned to work and cherish spending time with my family.

I never thought that our family would have to battle cancer again. After all, I’ve been cancer-free for over seven years thanks to the care I received. But last year, the cancer came back.

Only this time, it wasn’t me.

Click here to read part 2 of our story. 

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