CYNTHIA’S BATTLE WITH BREAST CANCER

Hello everyone. I'm Cynthia Salvidar Cosico. I'm 57 years old from Tiaong, Quezon Philippines. My story started last January 2017 when I felt a lump in my right breast and decided to have a consultation. Then the doctor advised me to have an operation and do a biopsy. Fast forward, the result is Invasive Ductal Carcinoma. This was a heavy blow to us. No one is always ready for this kind of problem. So my family struggled what to do next because no one in our immediate family has faced a problem like this. We seek for suggestions and help in people who have like this illness. My employer who has been with us from start up to now, send me to a specialist but unluckily he is based in US so he can't focus on treating me and his cancer center is just in process of establishing in Makati. We go to Philippine General Hospital through the help of a family friend and teach us how to get a help from there. In short, I started my third opinion from there and get all the help I can from the very accommodating staff of Breast Cancer Center of PGH. They done my additional check ups, laboratories and also my Modified Radical Mastectomy in my right breast last May 26, 2017. It was Stage III-A Breast Cancer after MRM with 6/20 axillary lymph nodes positive for Tumor. I have no financial problem during those procedures because I'm a Philhealth member so I have availed their "Z-package" and covered all the procedures excluding the laboratories because I've done that outside to fasten the results. Up until my 8 cycles of basic chemotherapy the Philhealth covered it. The radiation therapy was also partly covered by Philhealth, we spent Php800 per session and completed the 30 sessions of it. But because I'm a HER2 Neu Score positive, I was advised to have additional chemo-drug, the Trastuzumab which is very expensive and we can't easily buy it.This drug cost Php 95700 each (PGH price) and the commercial price is much higher, less the 20% discount for PWD.

Following the doctors advice and through the help and suggestion of co-patients and hospital staffs, we seek help from the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) and ROCHE, the pharmaceutical company who manufactures and distributes the Trastuzumab (Herceptin). We were approved by Roche, and have a support program called HERStrength. We are entitled to a 9 cycle/vial for free from Roche Philippines. The PCSO gaved us assistance and have been approved of 5 1/2 cycle/vial. We still able to have an assistance from our provincial governor that gave us 2 vials. In short, were lucky to shoulder the 1 1/2 vial only. But all of us knows that cancer is a very long process of treatment. I have to take maintenance medicine Letrozole 2.5mg for 5 years (ER/PR assay positive). This maintenance medicine cost Php2500 per month. The laboratories required every quarter. Because of this I'm knocking in your good hearts to help me financially for all my needs to make this battle a successful one. I'm always thankful of my family that supports me all the way. But I don't want to be a burden to them so I'm still working as a househelp so I can still provide for my medicines and living necessities. I still have a 16 year old son whose dependent to us. Any amount is very appreciated and thank you very much for the time reading my story. If you're like me suffering from a cancer, be strong, we are loved by God and there's no struggle that can't be overcome if you hold unto Him. We just have to believe that we can be cured and act on it also. Thank you all very much from the bottom of my heart.