Kearsay Chenkie Low (right) says this photo was taken in June 2017 in Baguio City on his mother’s 53rd birthday. The trip, which lasted for four days, was a surprise for his mother. (Photo from KEARSAY CHENKIE LOW)
Cancer remains the leading cause of death among Filipino women. According to data released last Feb. 12, 2018 by the Philippine Statistics Authority, 12.5 percent of women died from cancer in 2016.
The agony of the cancer patient extends to relatives, who feel not only the emotional stress but also the financial strain.
For the last two years, Kearsay Chenkie Low, a 25-year-old marketing specialist, has been struggling to make enough money to pay for the treatment of his mother Yolly, who had been diagnosed with Stage 3B HER2-positive breast cancer.
Even at his young age, he has already experienced working almost 24 hours a day at three jobs to meet the financial needs of his mother – who has, ironically, proven to be his source of strength.
“She’s my anchor,” he said in a phone interview with INQUIRER.net on Tuesday. “I pull all of my strength from her. She just needs to survive. Kailangan niyang mabuhay. Hindi ko kayang mawala siya.”
It was in April 2016 that he learned of his mother’s condition – accidentally. He just wanted his mother to have a check-up.
READ: Son seeks help for mom with Stage 3 breast cancer
Low said it was painful to hear his mother tell him at times to just stop her medication. He never showed it, though whenever he was alone he felt like giving in and just have a breakdown.
“Sobrang hirap. Lalo na yung mga sisters ko,” he said. “I don’t oblige them at all to help financially kasi may sariling families na. Pero at times talaga, I can feel the struggle.”
According to Low, the vials used for every chemotherapy session of his mother costs more than P100,000.
At the moment, he said that, out of the 18 cycles of herceptin treatment, the 15th cycle had already been delayed by almost two months.
He has already tried to do fundraising activities to add to his earnings.
“Nagfu-fundraising activities talaga ako. I’ve done a lot talaga for her. Yung first ko was I sold breast cancer awareness shirts, yung mga may pink ribbon,” he said.
But the funds he got from those activites were still not enough to pay the bills, let alone the loans he had incurred.
So now he’s asking for public support for a block screening he had organized for “Avengers: Infinity War.”
“To everyone who may or may not be a fan of the Avengers, but who are a fan of their mom, please be with us,” Low said. “Please join us in this battle against the breast cancer.”
As of this writing, 42 people have expressed support for the block screening, while 272 have expressed interest in the fundraising activity, invitations to which he he had posted on his Facebook timeline.
The block screening is set for Saturday, April 28, at Cinema 7 of SM Megamall in Mandaluyong. The movie will run from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Low said that members from his family would be at the cinema to give a short message of gratitude to those watching the movie. /atm