First diagnosed with stage 1 cancer in 2005, Ambick said the fight from the time she was diagnosed until today has not been easy.
Along with her advocacy involving early detection through self-examination, support sessions for women like her who are also battling the disease, Ambick is also going through another battle -- that of managing pain which goes along with the spread of the disease.
Ambick was declared cancer-free in 2006, after undergoing surgery and chemo and radiotherapy. Very recently however, her cancer recurred. She now has Stage 4 cancer and this has spread to her bones.
"In cancer, doctors do not tell you of a Stage 5," Ambick said, but remained positive about this, saying she is lucky because the cancer did not invade her vital organs like her kidneys and liver.
Ambick, who has since decided to stop chemotherapy, said her decision is not because she has given up, but more because she is thankful her life has been extended by the Lord.
She gave meaning to her extended lease in life by reaching out to women who are in the same battle like her. She formed the support group, Minda's Buddies.
Counseling and fund-raising for indigent patients are among the services extended by members of the group.
"To be told you have cancer is difficult, terrifying even," Ambick said. For two weeks she kept to herself the doctor's prognosis, until she told her sister about it.
It was her sister who told her children and members of their family she had the disease.
"To undergo chemotherapy is not easy. You lose your hair, your nails and you feel very weak," Ambick said, adding the cost of treatment adds to the burden, a patient and members of the family go through.
The good thing was, Ambick was spared the pain of the disease. "I have very good doctors who help me manage it."
In coping with the disease, support also plays a vital part, doctors say.
Support from the family and even the community is needed to help a patient deal with the disease in a positive way, said Dr. Antonio Bautista, a medical specialist at the Department of Health-Cordillera.
The Baguio-Benguet Medical Society (BBMS) likewise said having cancer is not the end of it all. BBMS president Dr. Bayani Tecson said like a family, they too help support patients by advising the best remedies available.
Through all these, physicians stress, prevention and early detection is still the best cure.
Finally, Ambick has this inspiring message, "breast cancer is not a death sentence. The bosom line is early detection."
