Help sought for teen with rare cancer

EDQUID

Nicole Miel Edquid was nearing graduation from elementary school in March 2016 when she came home one day with a nosebleed.

“My initial reaction then was that it must be due to the heat. But I later learned that she had been bleeding every 15 minutes that day,” Nicole’s mother Michelle told the Inquirer.

This was followed by a swelling of the lymph node behind Nicole’s ear, which grew bigger as days passed.

Worried for her 15-year-old daughter, Michelle took her to three hospitals in their hometown of Olongapo City, and later to Philippine General Hospital in Manila.

It was at PGH where the teenager was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a rare form of cancer that develops in the lymphatic system, a network of vessels and glands spread throughout the body.

After two sets of six-cycle chemotherapy sessions which she failed to complete because her body did not respond positively to treatment, Nicole hopes to have another try.

The girl is currently taking a new drug—Cytarabin—and her body is now responsive, according to Michelle.

Michelle and her husband, Bernie, a tricycle driver, are appealing for financial assistance as their daughter needs to undergo five more chemo sessions.

Michelle can be reached at 0932-7068734. Deposits can be made to the bank account of Bernie Edquid: PNB 1900129863. —Santiago R. Alcantara