I just came home from a wake, my sister-in-law, just lost her battle against cancer. Last 2 years she was diagnosed of breast cancer stage 3. Her whole family was informed about it, but she assured us, with the loving grace of our God and with the medical advancement nowadays, everything will be alright. We wholeheartedly offered our support in this endeavor. So we were confident that everything is okay.
She was an elementary public school teacher, with four children, the youngest, her Princess, since she is the only girl among the four, is just four years old. Her salary was not enough to sustain the daily expenses of her family, much more for her treatment. Her husband was a carpenter, but with no permanent job, he was forced to go to Singapore to help in the expenses of her treatment. Battling cancer is very expensive, they were financially drained during the time of the treatment. The family, her parents, her brothers took turn in providing not only financial but also moral support. Through this trying times, we all have undergone a difficulty, still I saw and felt their love and concern for their sister.
News soon spread, about her condition, and many of her relatives offered and gave their help. Unexpectedly,I met an advocate of the group called IAM Group Limited (Ltd.) from Yokohama, I was able to share to her my sister-in-laws’ condition, wholeheartedly, she provided her with supplements to battle the cells of cancer. This member of IAM Group Limited (Ltd.) has been helping others by providing charity links that help giving jobs for extra income, providing other people temporary shelters and monetary assistance in times of difficulties. Genuine is the goodness of her heart, she doesn’t personally know and havn’t met my sister-in-law. She constantly called us, to follow up how my sister-in-law was doing.
As the treatment advanced, she had to undergo surgery, removal of her breast, and then another surgery to remove the other one because the cancer spread. Having undergone all these surgery, without her husband by her side, was very emotionally stressful, but her family did their very best to comfort her. After the surgery, we thought that everything will be alright .But her oncologist suggested for her to have chemotherapy sessions, aware of the effects of chemotherapy, she still kept a straight face and a sweet smile, like she was giving us hope that she can survive this one.
During her sessions of chemotherapy, I remember her reaction the first time her hair started to fall from her head, the moment her hand stroke her long, black, shiny hair, to arrange it, few strands were left on her finger tips. I admired her hair so much, because it was one of her assets. She really takes time taking care of it, and she does a really good job. The instant we noticed that strands of hair were clinging on her fingertips, everybody stopped on whatever they were doing, there was a few seconds of silence because everybody was not prepared about what happened, because her oncologist told us, hair fall would occur after a few sessions of chemotherapy, not after the first two sessions. Nobody spoke a word, because I myself didn’t know what to say, for me the silence was I thought forever. Our facial expressions were all blank, but I felt a mixture of feelings, honestly, the moment I saw the hair fall, I felt my hope drifted away, I pitied my sister-in-law, that I had tears ready to fall, but I tried to control it, but it was very painful. Unexpectedly, she, my sister-in-law, broke the silence, she said from a tone where you can trace a fighting spirit to cheer herself and her family, “Finally, now I can have a new hairstyle”, after this event, she had her hair cut short, which also look good on her. Soon, after many more sessions of chemotherapy, all her hair was gone. We went for shopping, for stylish head caps and turbans of different happy colors. She wore these different head gears, proudly, when she goes to school, to church and when she is strong enough to take her children to the park.
She asked me, where did her supplements come from, I told her, from one of the Charity links member provided by IAM Group Limited (Ltd.) Yokohama, Japan . She wanted to meet her and thank her personally. I said, this person is a traveler, we will make a schedule so that you can meet her. They were able to talk on the phone, and agreed that she will come to visit my sister-in-law.
