MARY ANN QUIOC TAYAG Restaurateur, Writer, Author “The best person to help you is yourself.” I set my mind that, from Day One, I would finish the treatment and that I would be well. On my second month, I bought a dress from a bazaar that I’ve been wanting to have for...
TETTA ORTIZ-MATERA LIT Fashion Consultancy, former fashion model “Staying strong and hopeful helped me get through my treatments.” I was at my fittest during my diagnosis, but I didn’t realize until then that I could even be stronger mentally and emotionally as well....
Melissa de Leon-Joseph Co-founder, Stage Zero by Project Pink “Having cancer twice is humbling.” A second cancer can feel so overwhelming big time, I know. If you have cancer again, remember you’ve faced this before, and you are stronger than you think. The second...
WIG TYSMANS Photographer “I thought I was having a heart attack.” I was in Europe with my wife and daughter in February 2025 when I felt a needle-sharp pain on my right breast. It happened suddenly, and the sensation was radiating towards the center of my chest. The...
Sheilla Gagui Triathlete “When you keep fighting cancer, life becomes your biggest victory.” One of the hardest challenges I faced was fatigue. My family and I would go to the park so the kids could bike while I ran. In the early stages of chemo, I could still run...
Susana “Chuchu” Madrigal Chairperson, Consuelo “Chito” Madrigal Foundation, Inc. “We survivors have a shared sympathy and compassion.” We each have a different reaction when we’re diagnosed with breast cancer. But no matter what our reaction towards the diagnosis is,...
Christina Dy Visual Artist, Dancer, Founder and Creative Director of Polecats Manila “I am now living life slower, but more intentional.” Instead of making every minute count and optimizing my life, I’ve shifted my mindset to living a slower life and doing less. If I...
Ina Vergel de Dios Board of Trustees Member, ICanServe Foundation “You will find a way through.” I had my first bout with cancer when I was only 27. I didn’t know much about breast cancer then. I did not even know anyone with breast cancer, for that matter. There...
Cecile Guidote-Alvarez Founder, Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA) Producer & Host, Balintataw radio program (DZRH) Director, Earthsavers Dreams Ensemble – UNESCO Artist for Peace “Age is not a hindrance to learning and healing.” I had breast cancer...
Elizabeth “Libet” C. Virata Chairperson, Fund Raising Committee, ICanServe Foundation Chairperson, Helping Women and Others (HWAO) Foundation “My life hasn’t changed; it’s my awareness of life that has changed.” When I was still in my teens, I was struck by the...