Giving back
Her medical instincts kicking in, she realized she was having seizures.
“It meant the cancer had spread to my brain as well,” she related. “From then on, I knew I would be in chemotherapy for the rest of my life.”
The brain metastasis proved to be Ocampo’s toughest challenge as “the cancer kept coming back” despite treatment. And so since 2010, she had undergone two invasive brain surgeries, and three gamma knife surgeries.
Yet despite the major medical treatments and continuous chemotherapies, Dr. Ocampo made a conscious effort to “live [her] life.” She spends a lot of time with her family, involves herself in breast cancer advocacies.
Love and support
According to Dr. Ocampo, the biggest reason she continues to stay strong throughout her ordeal is because of the love and support she constantly receives from her family, friends and colleagues.
Her husband Nilo is topmost on the list. “I am so lucky to have him by my side. He is so strong, and never falls apart,” she lovingly explained. “He is very methodical so he addressed my cancer very matter-of-factly. He said that our No. 1 priority is our children especially because there is a chance that could I die early.”
With this in mind the couple drew up a “master plan” for their children’s future and made a will. “It felt like a huge burden was lifted off of me when we did this.”
Another pillar of strength is Ocampo’s own mother, Baby. “When I told her about the cancer, she wanted to come here right away [from the Philippines]. And she did, until she saw how everyone was taking care of me and felt assured she could go back home.”
Then, there is also her friends and colleagues from the medical community who support her in endless ways, from praying for her to driving her around town.
“Everyone’s just amazing,” she beamed appreciatively. “Cancer is just a part of our lives now. I get chemo every three weeks, then I come home and we do what we normally do as a family.”
Fears and lessons
Through the last seven years in her battle with cancer, Ocampo has not only faced her biggest fears, but also more importantly For all that she has been through, Dr. Ocampo continues to find the time and energy to take care of others. She is still an ever-devoted teacher to residents and fellows at Baylor College of Medicine, and has never stopped her practice in treating children with critical cardiac conditions.
“These children endure more than what I undergo so it would be shameful for me not to overcome my disease. If they can do it, the more that I should right,” she enthused.
Besides passionately pursuing her vocation, Ocampo is also very active in helping fellow breast cancer patients. In 2008, she and a group of friends formed the “Queens for Hearts” team for the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer. Every year, they embark on a two-day, 39-mile walk to raise funds for breast cancer research and advocacy. The team continues to grow and to date has raised over $50,000.
She added that what she liked about the fundraising and awareness event is that the proceeds directly go to the local beneficiaries and not to the Avon fund.
Another personal advocacy is to engage fellow patients to talk about their experiences. Ocampo elaborated, “When I share my experiences with others, the first thing I tell them to do is not to read the blogs. If they do, I tell them to take it with a grain of salt, because these blogs are not screened by medical professionals unless they are from hospital websites. They could say whatever they want in these blogs like, someone may say, ‘My chemo is terrible,’ but it doesn’t have to be true for everyone.”
For Ocampo, the top two things a cancer patient should remember are the following: “Do not be afraid to seek treatment because they can do wonders; and that one person’s experience is not necessarily going to happen to you.”
Let live
Today, Ocampo’s goal is to live life to fullest. Whenever she finds time, she travels with her loved ones, and has since visited Germany, Istanbul, Mexico and France with her family.
Of these, France is her favorite as she is a devotee of the Our Lady of Lourdes. Her most recent trip there was in 2012 with her daughter, mother-in-law and mother who passed away eight months later. “I was so happy I was able to take her with me.” Ocampo said.
“Every year, we try to do a big trip in the family, and this year, I’m so happy to bring my children back home to the Philippines for a big reunion,” she shared.
“I decided that cancer is not going to rule my life but accepted it just as a part of my life. It’s not who I am because I am still the same person who can function. I have cancer—and it’s a bad kind of cancer—but I’m still alive so I’m going to keep on living,” Dr. Ocampo ended.