Ms. Madrilena de la Cerna Cancer Treatment
Donation protected
Ms. MADRILEÑA L. DE LA CERNA was our English and History teacher in High School way back in the early nineties. She was a perfectionist who expected a lot from her students. From her, we learned to give our very best in every exam, homework, project or thesis. For many of us, this pursuit of perfection continued in our careers and has been a driving force for the successes that we have attained as individuals. Mediocrity was never in her vocabulary and she made sure that it would never be in ours. For this, we are forever grateful to her.
This force to be reckoned with is now 71 years old and is a retired professor from our alma mater, the University of the Philippines. She is battling both end-stage renal disease and breast cancer. Currently, she is undergoing both hemodialysis and target drug therapy. As you can imagine, these treatments can take its toll physically, mentally and financially on anyone. But despite this, Ms. De la Cerna remains positive and continues to live an active and fruitful life as she continues to do volunteer work for women empowerment issues and involve herself in activities that advance and promote Philippine culture and history. She also writes a weekly column in a local newspaper.
As a retired teacher, she survives on a “meager” government pension which is never enough to cover the cost of her medical care. She needs our help. For her cancer, she has to undergo 18 cycles of target drug therapy with Trastuzumab which costs about $1,000 (50,000 pesos) per cycle. She has completed 2 cycles with the support of friends and former students. Sixteen cycles more to go! She is a fighter and we know that she will come out of this on top. Help us win this battle with her.
Here is our goal:
$20,000 (or 1,000,000 pesos).
$16,000 (16 cycles at $1,000 each)
$4,000 (for additional expenses such as hemodialysis, laboratory tests, supplementary medications, doctors’ visits, etc).
To know more about this wonderful individual, here is her story written in her own words:
I am, MADRILEÑA L. DE LA CERNA, 71 years old, single, and a retired professor of Social Sciences of the University of the Philippines –Cebu.
I retired in 2010, two years earlier than the mandated retirement age of 65 for government employees, after I was diagnosed with kidney chronic disease stage 4. Since then I have been on dialysis twice a week till the present. The twice a week dialysis sessions with the prescribed medicines, supplements, injections, monthly laboratory tests, etc. have heavily drained my resources derived mostly from a meager government pension. On top of these, within the period 2010 to 2017, I underwent total abdominal hysterectomy in 2010, cataract operation of my left eye in 2011, and cataract operation of my right eye in 2017.
On June 9, 2018, I was diagnosed with stage II A breast cancer after undergoing lumpectomy. The biopsy results showed it was malignant, so I underwent mastectomy (left breast) on August 22, 2018 and the results showed I have HER2 positive breast cancer. For the treatment, I did not choose chemotheraphy because I find it too aggressive, even more destructive. I chose the target drug therapy using Trastuzumab (Herceptin), 600 mg/ 1 vial administered for 18 cycles, each cycle is every three weeks. My nephrologist informed me that if I undergo chemotherapy, there will be many adjustments to the dosage of the dialysis, whereas if I undergo the target drug therapy there will be no adjustments at all.
My surgical oncologist enrolled me in the Roche Patient Support Program to access this drug under the program that grants me 40 % discount of the original price of the drug. Original price of the drug is PhP 86,526.00, and with the 40 % discount it is PhP 49, 920.00. I underwent the 1st cycle on October 25, 2018, and the 2nd cycle on November 15, 2018 with the support of former students and friends.
Despite having kidney disease and breast cancer, I continue to live a very active life doing volunteer work for women empowerment issues and concerns, advance and promotion of Philippine and local culture and history through local and civic activities, and writing a column for the Sunday edition of an English daily I am mindful of my condition and look after my health. Those close to me feel comfortable that at my level of fitness, I will have more years of a fruitful and productive life. Therefore, family and friends are appealing to the generosity of the global community to help pay for the remaining fifteen cycles of the target drug therapy and also alleviate the payment for dialysis related treatment which is on my 9th year..
Please feel free to contact Madrileña at [email redacted].
This force to be reckoned with is now 71 years old and is a retired professor from our alma mater, the University of the Philippines. She is battling both end-stage renal disease and breast cancer. Currently, she is undergoing both hemodialysis and target drug therapy. As you can imagine, these treatments can take its toll physically, mentally and financially on anyone. But despite this, Ms. De la Cerna remains positive and continues to live an active and fruitful life as she continues to do volunteer work for women empowerment issues and involve herself in activities that advance and promote Philippine culture and history. She also writes a weekly column in a local newspaper.
As a retired teacher, she survives on a “meager” government pension which is never enough to cover the cost of her medical care. She needs our help. For her cancer, she has to undergo 18 cycles of target drug therapy with Trastuzumab which costs about $1,000 (50,000 pesos) per cycle. She has completed 2 cycles with the support of friends and former students. Sixteen cycles more to go! She is a fighter and we know that she will come out of this on top. Help us win this battle with her.
Here is our goal:
$20,000 (or 1,000,000 pesos).
$16,000 (16 cycles at $1,000 each)
$4,000 (for additional expenses such as hemodialysis, laboratory tests, supplementary medications, doctors’ visits, etc).
To know more about this wonderful individual, here is her story written in her own words:
I am, MADRILEÑA L. DE LA CERNA, 71 years old, single, and a retired professor of Social Sciences of the University of the Philippines –Cebu.
I retired in 2010, two years earlier than the mandated retirement age of 65 for government employees, after I was diagnosed with kidney chronic disease stage 4. Since then I have been on dialysis twice a week till the present. The twice a week dialysis sessions with the prescribed medicines, supplements, injections, monthly laboratory tests, etc. have heavily drained my resources derived mostly from a meager government pension. On top of these, within the period 2010 to 2017, I underwent total abdominal hysterectomy in 2010, cataract operation of my left eye in 2011, and cataract operation of my right eye in 2017.
On June 9, 2018, I was diagnosed with stage II A breast cancer after undergoing lumpectomy. The biopsy results showed it was malignant, so I underwent mastectomy (left breast) on August 22, 2018 and the results showed I have HER2 positive breast cancer. For the treatment, I did not choose chemotheraphy because I find it too aggressive, even more destructive. I chose the target drug therapy using Trastuzumab (Herceptin), 600 mg/ 1 vial administered for 18 cycles, each cycle is every three weeks. My nephrologist informed me that if I undergo chemotherapy, there will be many adjustments to the dosage of the dialysis, whereas if I undergo the target drug therapy there will be no adjustments at all.
My surgical oncologist enrolled me in the Roche Patient Support Program to access this drug under the program that grants me 40 % discount of the original price of the drug. Original price of the drug is PhP 86,526.00, and with the 40 % discount it is PhP 49, 920.00. I underwent the 1st cycle on October 25, 2018, and the 2nd cycle on November 15, 2018 with the support of former students and friends.
Despite having kidney disease and breast cancer, I continue to live a very active life doing volunteer work for women empowerment issues and concerns, advance and promotion of Philippine and local culture and history through local and civic activities, and writing a column for the Sunday edition of an English daily I am mindful of my condition and look after my health. Those close to me feel comfortable that at my level of fitness, I will have more years of a fruitful and productive life. Therefore, family and friends are appealing to the generosity of the global community to help pay for the remaining fifteen cycles of the target drug therapy and also alleviate the payment for dialysis related treatment which is on my 9th year..
Please feel free to contact Madrileña at [email redacted].
Co-organizers (3)
Jerald Garcia
Organizer
Honolulu, HI
Arcelin Piramide
Co-organizer
Lei Aranas Mosqueda
Co-organizer