A FAMOUS German philosopher once said that to survive is to find meaning in suffering. In tough battles, such as that with cancer, it is inevitable to get down on one’s knees and give in to emotions. But three Thomasians have given the “Big C” a whole new definition, surpassing the idea of pain and replacing it with something more meaningful.
Bond of ‘komikeros’
One of them is Gerry Alanguilan, an Architecture alumnus, whose encounter with the disease came when it hit his close friend, Arlan Esmeña.
Sharing the same profession, Gerry and Arlan met through a local organization of architects to which they were affiliated. Their similarities, differences, and good vibes surfaced and mixed perfectly, forming a solid friendship.
Their strong bond carried them through the good times and the bad. In 2008, Arlan’s career was booming, but he still took time to visit Gerry, where he shied away from the stresses of his work and nurtured the fun guy inside him. He participated in video-blogs on YouTube called “Kwentong Tambay” and in some of Gerry’s short films.
That same year, he asked Gerry if there was a comic project left to draw. The Thomasian artist was then beginning to illustrate a comic story he made in 2000 titled Where Bold Stars Go to Die, which had gone through the hands of different artists.
Gerry knew he found the story’s match in Arlan after seeing a sample work drawn on a small piece of paper.
“I knew he was good, but not that good. It turns out he was better than I expected,” he wrote in a blog entry titled “Remembering Arlan.” “He harbored dreams of drawing comics, you see, and he wished he could for a long time.”
But Gerry still had reservations, given that the story would require a lot of drawings of naked women. Arlan was “very religious” and had relatives and close friends who were members of the clergy, but he was eager to do the work.
Along this endeavor came the bad news—Arlan was diagnosed with cancer. But the Big C wasn’t able to put a complete halt on his endeavors. He became inactive in his professional work, but the overflowing zeal he showed for the comic project remained.
He finished illustrating in July 2009, exactly a year after he began. But by this point, Arlan had gone bald along with the side effects of chemotherapy.
“And yet I swear, that smile never left his face every time we saw him,” Gerry recalled. “His development as an artist was nothing short of astonishing.”
The Thomasian artist was driven to have the comic book ready for Komikon, one of the biggest comic events in the country, to be held on October of the same year. Through the help of friends, the book made it on time.
“I believed that it was an experience that he will have over and over, but deep in the back of my mind, I thought it might be possible that this may be the last event he could attend. It drove me to make sure that Bold Stars came out at the convention, just in case,” he shared.
As the year neared its end, Arlan showed physical recovery and they planned to take on other comic book projects. But along with the beginning of 2010 came a sad development. The tumors made their way to other vital organs, eventually invading Arlan’s brain by February.
Gerry was able to visit twice—when Arlan lost control of his body, but not of his spirit—before the 36-year-old succumbed to cancer on February 18.
“When he passed away, I realized that I lost not just a friend, but my best friend,” Gerry wrote.
But the Thomasian illustrator still carries with him fun and fulfilling memories that he shared with Arlan, his ever-smiling friend and budding “komikero.”
Racing awareness
National Service Training Program instructors Eric Aboboto and Lent Joseph Evangelista showed their support for cancer victims and their families in a manner that helps them stay fit—they ran on a race track in Fort Bonifacio.
The instructors joined over 6,000 in New Balance Power Run, a marathon event for cancer awareness and empowerment, on November 2009.
“It allows people to be aware of the situation. Like for cancer, where the main objective is to raise hope for cancer patients and their families,” Eric said.
Both he and fellow runner and colleague Lent Joseph agreed that the fulfillment they felt in running and supporting a cause is priceless. It gives them what they call a “runner’s high,” where they just want to finish the race no matter what.
They added that they do this to impart to their students that service is a never-ending endeavor.
“Service that you give should not stop in the finish line. It should go beyond that,” they said.
The survivor
The battle was closest to Yolanda Reyes, former dean of the College of Architecture, who came face-to-face with the Big C. But this woman did not back down, and has been free from the disease for 18 years.
The lady architect was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1992, when she was at her prime—young and armed with a blossoming career.
“I thought I had the world with me, and then suddenly, I got the news,” she recalled.
But through early diagnosis, necessary actions were immediately carried out. Yolanda, who still went through the physical consequences of cancer treatment, maintained her optimism through the ordeal, and kept herself busy with work. She even had to attend to commitments overseas, which extended her initial six months of chemotherapy to eight.
The lady architect admitted that the experience taught her to hold on to her faith.
“I talked to God; there’s really nothing like talking to him sincerely. My children were very young at that time. But I said to Him, ‘Please, I want to see their children’s children’,” she shared.
Yolanda added that if it were not for cancer, she would never have fully appreciated the overwhelming love and support of her family and friends.
But the greatest lesson that the Big C has given her is to enjoy life while she could while being a “blessing” to others.
“If your smile can give a lighter load to others, then, for all reasons, smile,” she said. “While you have control over your life, do the things you love, so that later on, you will have no regrets.” Alma Maria L. Sarmiento
