Cervical cancer has a kind face
“Kindness begets kindness.” For most of us, that’s just an aphorism. But for 62-year-old Fredeswinda “Winnie” Samonte, it’s the story of her life.
“My brothers and sisters and I never saw anything but kindness from our parents,” Winnie said. And even in her adulthood, life continued to be gentle to Winnie: She met a loving man who took care of her and gave her two affectionate daughters. In her fifties, Winnie retired early from her government job, lived comfortably with the help of her little pension, and enjoyed being a full-time mother to her girls.
She carried with her a constantly cheerful air and a generous spirit. Why wouldn’t she? Life had handled her preciously, like a gardener protecting a seedling from the drought and the storm. And then, life changed.
In July 2013, Winnie noticed blood coming out of her body when she went to the toilet. For most women, that’s a normal monthly occurrence. For Winnie who is already on menopause, it was a cause for concern.
She went to consult a doctor at the Valenzuela Medical Center, which was near her home. Her doctor there had a biopsy taken.
The diagnosis came out, and it seemed the tide had turned: Life was no longer kind to Winnie. It had given her cervical cancer, stage II-B.
All over the world, cervical cancer is a wellknown killer. In the Philippines, it is estimated that eight to12 women die everyday because of the disease.
Not wanting to be part of the statistics, Winnie began the painful routines of chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and brachytherapy at the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) in May 2014.
At this point, one cannot blame Winnie for losing the cheerfulness and generosity she had long been known for. After all, she was not basking in life’s gentle sunlight anymore. Cancer had cast its shadow. But being the person that she is, Winnie did not lose her optimistic spirit. Instead of falling into dark depression, Winnie reached out to her fellow cancer patients to bring hope and light into their lives.
“The news of cancer never got me down. I told myself I would beat it. But at the clinic, I noticed the other patients all looked depressed. Many would not even talk.”
“Too much silence is not good for you when you have cancer. You need to talk to others, distract yourself, encourage one another,” Winnie said.
So this irrepressible woman started chatting up her fellow patients. “I introduced myself to them and asked them about their lives.”
Soon they were swapping stories, information, and advice.
To make it easier for all of them to keep in touch, Winnie put the support group on Facebook called the PGH Cancer Survivors Organization, or PCSO. She admits borrowing the initialism from the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office, which has saved the lives of so many cancer patients like her.
The informal chat group then began growing into something bigger.
One day, a patient who had gone into remission mentioned to Winnie that he had leftover medication. Winnie gladly took in the meds and sent them to someone who still needed them. From thereon Winnie started receiving leftover meds from patients who had gone into remission or who had passed on, so she could pass them forward to others. Winnie’s PCSO now became a sort of distribution hub for unused cancer medicines.
Winnie’s activities did not go unnoticed by the PGH. Seeing the value of the patient’s point of view, the PGH Cancer Institute made her a part of their medical team. They invited her to attend their regular meetings. There she gains and shares insights on how to improve care for cancer patients. Aside from that, Winnie also participates in PGH’s quality-of-life clinic, which holds lectures and peer counseling for cancer patients at least twice a month. She also speaks at cancer-education events all over the country. Her audience loves her sincere and spontaneous way of telling her story.
“In the past, I took a lot of things for granted,” she mused. “I didn’t care about pap smears and check-ups. But now I tell people, ‘Get screened. Get vaccinated against (the human papillomavirus).’ I want to help them avoid this disease as much as I can.”
Winnie is now often called “The Face of Cervical Cancer” in the Philippines. She is also in remission.
Her PCSO now serves over 375 members, and with the help of the group’s officers and kindhearted benefactors, this organization keeps cancer patients in high spirits through frequent trips, talks, and even some material help. PCSO is also an active member of patient groups such as the Philippine Alliance of Patient Organizations (PAPO), through regular engagement in its activities and seminars.