Press Release Archive

2008

June, 2008

Silver Linings Goes to Cebu

Nowhere has “a demonstration of solidarity, unity and triumph of spirit” been more palpable than in the last Silver Linings event, according to singer, lecturer, Jim Paredes, husband of ICanServe volunteer, Lydia.
 
Held  at the EDSA Shangrila hotel in Mandaluyong City last September 2005, this year’s Silver Linings goes to the Waterfront Lahug in Cebu City on September 6. 

Silver Linings , the first and only one of its kind in the country, is a national homecoming and  educational forum for  breast cancer survivors.

Silver Linings is a whole day educational and inspirational fora.  Topics are a mixture of hard and soft topics.  They can range from Breast Cancer 101 to Finding Humor in Your Tumor.

Besides lectures, there will  also be  activities that engage the participants like exercise, cooking demonstrations, look good feel good sessions and opportunities for newly diagnosed patients to interact with newfound sisters in the cancer community.

Several sessions go on at the same time and there will be a plenary for the opening and closing. The event always closes with “stories of hope,” featuring inspiring testimonials from breast cancer survivors.

The event is conducted predominantly in English and sometimes in Filipino.

Silver Linings aims  to erase the two things a cancer patient confronts: fear of the unknown and fear of being alone by knowing more about the big C, listening  to inspiring stories of survivorship, and by strengthening the sisterhood.

Chair of the Silver Linings event is Me’Anne Solomon, ICanServe volunteer coordinator for Cebu.  The various committee heads are: Nelia Navarro,  Marketing and Sponsorship, Bernie Aboitiz for Publicity and Promotions, Christine Caballero and Marly Dacay for Transportation and Accommodation, Sister Lucia Perpinan and Lala Pagobo, Secretariat, Chevy Salvador is project manager.  All are under the supervision of the Collaboration and Advocacy Committee chaired by Alice Orleans and Kara Magsanoc-Alikpala, also founding President of the foundation

May 7, 2008

Training sessions for breast cancer screening program underway

Training sessions for Ating Dibdibin have begun in preparation for the program’s launch on June 6 .  

Ating Dibdibin is a national breast cancer screening program designed by ICanServe under the auspices of the American Cancer Society. 

Through a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with the Marikina City government, ICanServe and Marikina City health workers will implement a breast cancer screening program in 16 barangays in Marikina, in order to make breast self-examination (BSE) a habit among the populace. 

“More than the fear of the financial burden of treatment, fear of cancer itself has prevented women from regularly doing breast self-examination, which in most cases offers them their only opportunity for early detection,” said Alice Orleans, acting program manager of Ating Dibdibin. 

Marikina City health workers and volunteer breast cancer survivors from the ICanServe community are being trained on BSE, story-telling, and facilitation. The training is an essential component of their participation in Ating Dibdibin and intends to ease the breast cancer screening experience of Marikina’s women population. 

Marikina’s medical staff, nurses, midwives and barangay health workers, who will champion monthly BSE, received their training on April 29 & 30. Survivors were scheduled for training on May 3, May 10, and May 13. Breast cancer survivors will encourage women to undergo regular screening and spread the message of hope: Cancer is treatable and can be overcome. 

Pfizer Foundation International and Pfizer Foundation Philippines are providing support for the Ating Dibdibin pilot in Marikina City. 

May 17, 2008

Ating Dibdibin, The National Breast Cancer Screening Program

ICanServe partners with Marikina City through Mayor Marides Fernando for its flagship program,”Ating Dibdibin,  the first community based  breast cancer screening program in the country.

“Ating Dibdibin” will be launched on June 6. A Memorandum of Agreement will be signed between  Marikina city Mayor Marides Fernando and  the ICanServe Foundation  represented by its Founding President Kara Magsanoc-Alikpala.
 
This is a very vital program for a country with the highest incidence of breast cancer in Southeast Asia. 

Lea Salonga, multiawarded singer and actress leads the information campaign designed and produced by volunteers of the Jimenez Basic ad agency.

To prepare for the program, ICanServe  with the help of Dr. Corazon Ngelangel, oncologist, cancer screening advocate, trained the medical staff, barangay and family health workers on early breast cancer detection techniques so they can teach the female residents of Marikina . During training,  each participant  also received free breast clinical exam.

Dr. Karen de la Cruz, organizational psychologist, former volunteer for the Philippine Cancer Society, honed the skills of breast cancer survivors including ICanServe members on public speaking and empathy.

Catering to women ages 20 to 75, the program aims to reach about 54,000  through barangay assemblies and various gatherings like schools, private hospitals, socio civic organizations, homeowner associations and the like.

“Ating Dibdibin” aims to fight ignorance and the fear women have of cancer and to make breast self exam a lifetime habit.  It ultimately wants women to take charge of their health.  Hopefully at the end of many years, breast cancer will be caught in its earlier stages.

Both Marikina and ICanServe will commit to help source funds for women who will test positive for breast cancer.

ICanServe is a program under the auspices of the American Cancer Society made possible by a grant from Pfizer Foundation USA and Pfizer Philippines.

Volunteers and sponsors are more than welcome to help the program.  Cities all over the country are invited to partner with ICanServe.

Read the latest on Ating Dibdibin here.

March 23, 2008

Myra E celebrates inner beauty with ICanServe

From March 15 to May 15, ICanServe receives one peso for every capsule of Myra 400-E purchased in Watsons.
 
Celebrate Women's Month with Myra E by showing your inner beauty. Just like Dawn Zulueta, Isabel Roces, Reema Chanco, Gaby De La Merced, and Patty Laurel, you can be beautiful inside out. Buy the Myra E Beauty Inside Advocacy Shirt for P249.75 in participating Meg and Watsons Stores, and Myra E automatically donates P100 of the purchase price to ICanServe. Each Advocacy Shirt comes in a trendy canister with a free Myra E trial pack.

Help raise awareness about breast cancer and other women cancers.

Buy your Myra 400-E from Watsons until May 15.

Click here to see poster.

28 February 2008

ICanServe thanks Gaby

(Photos courtesy of ABS-CBN)

Breast cancer patient advocacy group I Can Serve recently gathered volunteers and beneficiaries to host a thank you luncheon for multi-awarded car racer Gaby de la Merced, who chose ICanServe as her beneficiary for winning the recent Pinoy Big Brother Celebrity Edition 2 (PBBCE2).

De La Merced was proclaimed third big placer of PBBCE2 and pledged P300,000 of her winnings to ICanServe, a foundation that empowers women with information on breast and other women cancers.

Click here to read more.

7 January 2008

ICanServe is PBB housemate's beneficiary

Gabrielle "Gaby" de la Merced, who was proclaimed third placer of Pinoy Big Brother Celebrity Edition 2 on January 5, chose ICanServe as her beneficiary. Housemate Gaby wore her ICanServe shirt during her guesting on The Buzz on January 6, 2008.

Gaby is one of the few Filipinas to dominate the Asian Formula 3 circuit. She is the only Filipina who competed in the full season of the series and her efforts led to a 1st Runner-up (second overall) performance in the Philippine National Formula championship (2006 Asian Formula 3 - National Driver's Championship).

On behalf of the survivors and caregivers we link with, our sincere thanks to Gaby for choosing the ICanServe community as her beneficiary. More power and God bless!

2007

October 22, 2007

TICKLED PINK 2

Click here to read press release.