9-year-old boy battling leukemia excited to go back to school

Jiro Patiag

MANILA, Philippines — Six years after 9-year-old Jiro Patiag was diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia, he seems to have beaten the disease, a type of cancer of the blood and bone marrow.

Patiag, who was diagnosed in 2014, went through several cycles of chemotherapy. The last phase — 14 cycles of maintenance treatment — was completed in August 2019. Since then, doctors have been monitoring his condition through laboratory tests, according to his mother, Pamela.

Patiag, who lives with his mother and father Jaime, a tricycle driver, in Lucena City, has been scheduled to undergo a bone marrow test (cost is P12,000), cytospin (P1,200) and complete blood count (P200) at Philippine Children’s Medical Center (PCMC).

However, the lockdown due to the new coronavirus pandemic and the family’s lack of money have resulted in a delay in testing, leaving the boy vulnerable to bacterial attacks.

“Good thing doctors at the PCMC told us that if worse comes to worst for Jiro, we should not hesitate to call them,” Pamela said.

She told the Inquirer that if the test results were normal and PCMC doctors would give the go-signal, they would enroll their son in Grade 1.

“He was forced to drop out twice because he always had asthma attacks. If the situation gets better, he will enroll in Grade 1 for the third time,” Pamela said.

Those who want to help the family pay for Patiag’s laboratory tests can reach Pamela at 0919-7053442. Deposits can be made in her Landbank account (#0216–3224–60).