A breast cancer survivor rallied both women and men to self-assess to be able to detect early possible signs and symptoms of breast cancer for them to avail of early diagnosis and treatment.
In her message during the regular flag-raising ceremony held at the city hall grounds, Marivic Bugasto, a breast cancer survivor for 18 years, underscored that breast cancer is not a death sentence but actually a life sentence because people will surely live longer once diagnosed for their illness.
She narrated her difficult experience when she underwent the diagnosis and treatment for her Stage 4 breast cancer which serve as an inspiration and motivation for people to self-assess to be able to easily detect whether or not they have the illness and for them to be able to immediately seek the appropriate diagnosis and treatment for them to recover and live normally.
Bugasto pointed out that chances of getting effective and efficient treatment is better when the breast cancer is detected at its early stage but she did not discount breast cancer being treated even in its advanced stages.
According to her, breast cancer survivor patients and survivors and their caregivers should access the breast cancer patient manual which had been recently launched in the city as it could be downloaded for free in English and Filipino in the ICanServe Foundation website to guide them in their journey to recovery.
The 106-page manual gives the right information about breast cancer which is actually curable, and is composed of five chapters discussing topics on early detection, diagnosis and treatment, patient care, patient navigation and after care.
She added there is a need for people to be fully aware of the easy self-assessment of their breast, the available screening processes in the various rural and district health centers and the presence of diagnosis and treatment in referral hospitals, like the Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center (BGHMC).
Further, she disclosed there are also institutions willing to extend the needed assistance to the breast cancer survivors and patients to effectively navigate their journey to recovery considering the difficulty of having to undergo the rigid treatment.
Bugasto, together with other breast cancer survivors in the city, are aggressively leading the awareness campaign on breast cancer to empower both males and females to have their breasts checked for unusual conditions and unnecessary discharges.
The country will be celebrating Breast Cancer Awareness Month this October and various programs, projects and activities have been lined up by the breast cancer awareness advocates in coordination with the health department and different local governments to cascade to the grassroots level the importance of early detection and treatment of the illness for people to live normally and longer.
Earlier, health authorities claimed that the progression of breast cancer among males is faster than in females and that males are also prone to acquiring this illness.