AMONG Asian countries, the Philippines has the highest prevalence of breast cancer. Since the 1980s, breast cancer ranks number one among the top leading cancers afflicting women and ranks second to lung cancer between both sexes.

Recent data show that 6,360 breast cancer patients die each year in the country, making it the single leading cause of death among Filipino women.

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A diagnosis of breast cancer is indeed a harrowing experience, especially when one considers the statistics that go with the disease. "I first noticed the lump in my breast in the last week of December 2006," recalls Rosalinda E. Villaseca, the founding president of the Mindanao Cooperative Cancer Society (MCCS). "Initially, I felt a pain in my left armpit."

She reckoned the pain must be due to the stressful driving she did from Panabo to Davao and then back to Panabo. But after reading some magazine articles, she surmised that the lump must be something else. So, she went to a doctor and was diagnosed of having a breast cancer.

Villaseca was totally terrified upon hearing the diagnoses, but after realizing that everyone has to die anyway, "I accepted it fully as His will," she said.

Considering that she was already 62 years old at that time, "I am ready to return to Him as our life in this world is just borrowed."

Because of the readings she did on the effects of chemotherapy, she objected initially of undergoing such treatment. It took a month of convincing from her doctor and family before she subjected herself to chemotherapy.

She survived the ordeal.

"Many were surprised because prior to the discovery of the disease, I looked good, very healthy in appearance and no semblance of sickness, whatsoever," she said. "They were even more surprised when they saw me after the chemotherapy treatment. My appearance seemed to improve better and there were no traces that I have been a breast cancer patient."

Life has been good to her. When she was diagnosed of having a breast cancer on January 4, 2007, that was also the time she was notified on her appointment as administrator of Cooperative Development Authority (CDA) from Malacañang. "God is really good," she said.

She is not only the CDA administrator but she's also the concurrent regional director and overseer of the agency's offices in Davao Region and Central Mindanao.

Actually, her academic background was agriculture having graduated with such profession from Central Mindanao University in Musuan, Bukidnon in 1966. However, she finished a master's degree in public administration from Notre Dame University in Kidapawan City in 2000.

Villaseca's work with CDA spearheaded her to put up MCCS. "I have spent half a million pesos (more or less) in the chemotherapy treatment alone, not to mention the cost of the mastectomy operation and hospitalization and other laboratory tests and incidental expenses," she said.

She couldn't imagine how poor women with breast cancer could cope up with the high cost of treatment. "As a government employee with a high pay, I still suffered from high cost of medication and hospitalization especially the 6 sessions of chemotherapy treatment," she said.

This was one of the main reasons why she launched MCCS during the Fourth Mindanao Cooperative Summit held in 2008 in Cagayan de Oro City. As a non-stock, non-profit organization, MCCS is not a business and social enterprise.

"Business is not the consideration of MCCS," she clarified. "It is solely for service through education, promotion and the coming up of basic and vital information material to help the public be aware of the do's and don'ts of the disease."

In real sense, MCCS does not differ so much from the existing cancer societies in the country today. "We only wanted to focus our assistance to the poor members of the cooperatives in Mindanao," she said.

The MCCS is the first cooperative cancer society established in Mindanao. Just like other cancer societies in Luzon and Visayas, it intends to complement rather than compete.

"The overarching intention of MCCS is to bombard the less-privileged members of the cooperatives with the correct and appropriate information about this disease down to the grassroots level," she said.

Today, MCCS has 23 individual members aside from 10 other organizations. "We do not limit to members of cooperatives or cooperative organizations only," she said. "We welcome anybody who is with us in this crusade."

Being a new society, it doesn't have any capacity yet to help members who are suffering from breast cancer financially. "The only thing we can provide or offer are words of encouragement, hope, prayers for them to have strong faith in the Lord," she said.

Based from her experience, she pointed out, "Positive disposition of a person is one vital attribute for fast recovery of a person."

Villaseca is a portrait of a breast cancer patient. "My strong faith in the Lord -- of Him being the Great and Almighty God and source of all lives -- is the secret of the full restoration of my health in body and mind," she admitted.

Her final thoughts: "Life is short, but not too short for us to show gratitude to God -- in grateful appreciation of what He has done to me, to my being, and to my career and health. I hope it is not too late for me to repay Him by doing these God-given tasks of promoting the principles of prevention rather than cure."

For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Zamboanga.

(November 22, 2008 issue)
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