2006-03-04 (Carla Paras-Sison)
The Full Story

Since October 2004, Jenelyn had suffered nosebleeds about once a month. By June 2005, the nosebleeds became more frequent, happening about four or five times a month. It wasn’t painful, but she was losing more and more blood each time her nose bled.

In August 2005, she was diagnosed with Cancer of the Nasopharynx, Stage 1. Immediate cobalt radiotherapy was recommended. This would have cost her P3,300 for the treatment planning and P100 a day for 49 days.

However, her mother discovered a so-called ‘miracle’ herbal medicine that required her to change her diet to solely fruits and vegetables. She was not able to complete the required herbal treatment regimen because it was also expensive and would have cost a total of 20,000 pesos ($400) in four months.

In January 2006, Jenelyn went back to her medical doctor as her nose bleeds persisted and came more often, about two to three times a week. Through the assistance of I Can Serve Foundation, Jenelyn will obtain a free CT scan to determine the extent of her condition, likely to have worsened in the intervening months. Her doctor believes she may now need chemotherapy in addition to radiotherapy.

Her schedule for radiotherapy treatment planning is in April 2006.