Today, our speakers will talk about their own experiences as relatives and friends of cancer patients. Our first speaker will tell us that while it is important to look back, it is also important to look forward, even if it means living without a loved one. A young man, who is just starting carving his own niche in the entertainment world, Mr. Lino Cayetano, who is son to Sandra and the late Senator Rene Cayetano, is here with us today. He is presently the director of ABS-CBN's top rating soap, Mga Angel na Walang Langit, prior to that, his resume already included directorial works for Star Struck I, Maalala Mo Kaya, and Star Dance. For six months, Lino spent his days with his father after the latter was diagnosed with liver cancer. On February 5, 2005 , Lino himself underwent a liver transplant to save his father's life. Unfortunately, despite the effort, the senator passed away to finally meet his Creator. Lino has since moved on. He has finished and competed in numerous triathlons and duathlons, he's an outstanding volleyball player also. Family, work, sports, and faith in the Lord have helped him cope with his loss. Ladies and gentlemen, Lino Cayetano.

Good afternoon po. Good afternoon. Actually, when Ate Kara texted me, si Kara Magsanoc is the Ate of my good friend from UP, si Marty Magsanoc. When she texted me if I could go, syempre, oo kaagad ako, even if hindi ko talaga alam kung ako ba yung taong makakapag share sa inyo ng maayos. Dahil sa mga pagkakataong ganito, na realize ko na it's more therapy for me to be here. In fact, nung naglalakad ako, and I think that's one of the reasons why it's good that we all get together, kasi, just being with each other, having that feeling that we have shared experiences, ang laki po ng tulong, di ba? Yun nga, walang tulad ng sakit na cancer, walang pinipiling edad, pati yung mga iniiwang pamilya, wala ring pinipili. Meron kaming mga pamangkin na iniwan ng Daddy ko, mga apo na ng Daddy ko, who are 3 years old, 8 years old, Mommy ko, who is 60, ako, who is 27. So, ganun rin po, di ba? I guess it's nice because all of us have different experiences, pero we also have a lot of shared experiences. Sabi ko nga nung naglalakad ako kanina, na nagsisimula na akong maiyak. So, pagpasensyahan nyo na kung medyo ano, ahh, kukwento ko na lang po ng konti ang naging experience ng family namin.

What happened po is my sister, si Ate Pia, these all started siguro mga year 2000, mga ganyan. Barely one year after namatay yung anak ng Ate ko, my sister had a 9-month-old son who passed away, because of something else naman. It was a chromosomal disorder. 9 months sa hospital yung anak ng Ate ko. Yung day na namatay si Gabriel, my Dad was in the States having himself checked. So, ganun kabilis yung naging ano for the family; na after kami nawalan ng unang apo sana na lalaki, kasi may dalawang babae na yung Ate ko, we found out about my Dad's sickness. Yung sakit po ng Daddy ko, it was Hepatitis B, but it was attacking his liver already, until he developed liver cirrhosis. Yun po, until dumating na months later, ang sabi na sa amin - at this time, I was two years out of college, hindi pa ako makahanap ng trabahong gusto ko, although I was enjoying myself because I was a Film lecturer in UP; pero syempre, pangarap naman naming lahat na nagaral ng Film makapaggawa ng pelikula at makapagtrabaho sa telebisyon. Pero that time, I was a lecturer in UP, I was teaching Film.

What happened was sinabi na nga sa amin ng mga doktor that my Dad has to go to the States, kasi posibleng kelanganin nya ng liver transplant. Medyo maselan po yun because we found out na mahirap nga, kumplikado yung proseso ng liver transplant. Also, because of the case of my Dad, kung maghihintay sya ng cadaveric liver, yung galing sa patay, medyo matagal yung wait. So, kinausap kami ng mga doktor, in fact, wala pa ako dun, yung brother ko pa lang ang nandoon, ang sabi, maari kelangan ng live liver donor. So, ang nandoon ang brother kong si Ren at saka si Pia. Talagang nagtinginan kami. Kinuwento nila sa akin, yung tingin daw nila, talagang: Ano yun? Ano yung live liver? Dinerecho sya ng duktor: Isa sa inyo, mag do donate ng liver. So syempre, bagamat mahal na mahal namin yung tatay namin, at saka pati sila, nandun kayo sa same room with your father, nagulat kami. Unang-una, di namin alam na may ganun. Alam namin yung kidney. Pero yung liver, hindi namin alam na natra-transplant. In fact, yung live liver transplant, dito sa Philippines , hindi pa nagagawa. And only a few hospitals sa States na gumagawa ng live liver transplant. So, sa madaling ano, para i short cut yung kwento, nag volunteer yung brother ko, si Ren.

Ren-Ren was the first one who volunteered. Sabi nya: "Gusto kong ako yung kunan ng liver." Sabi nya. Umabot po ng mga 4 months yung testing kay Ren. Kami naman, tulad ng marami siguro sa atin also here, di ba? When someone is sick, tumigil talaga yung buhay namin. Literally, kami naman, dahil yung kaso naman po e sa States lang naman magkaroon ng treatment yung Dad ko, we all left our jobs. At that time, si Pia at saka ako. Ren and Allan were already…si Allan was already a congressman then, si Ren naman was a councilor. So, si Allan and Ren-Ren, they'd go in and out for months. Si Ren-Ren, magpapa test sya, tapos uuwi sya, babalik sya, magpapa test, babalik. Kami ni Pia, dun na tumira, at saka yung Mom ko.

Siguro, yun yung hardest times, siguro, the six months that we were there, because hindi namin alam kung anong mangyayari. Everyday, palala na nang palala yung condition ng Daddy ko. At kung naalala nyo yung Dad ko is, ano sya, e, he was always very healthy. He always looked good. Gustong gusto nya naka kurbata sya, naka suit. I remember just maybe a few months before he was diagnosed, mas malakas pa yung nabubuhat nya sa gym kesa sa akin. So yung image ko ng Dad ko, talagang yung tatay na kahit he was already 60 then, feeling ko he was so strong, at saka he can defend me, he can defend our family, matapang na matapang sya. This was right after nung mga panahon ng...this was 2001, ganyan.

So, it was so hard for the family na makita yung Daddy ko, na buong buhay namin, yung Daddy ko yung pinakamalakas na taong kilala ko, pinakamatapang, the strongest, the bravest, na nakikita ko yung paglakad nya lang papuntang CR, kelangan nya ng tulong namin. Siguro, that was the most difficult thing. Parang, ito yung Daddy ko, dati, parang alalang-alala ko pa yung one time na nakatulog ako sa couch, kinarga ako ng Daddy ko papuntang kama ko. Tapos, I opened my eyes, tapos pinikit ko na lang para kunyari tulog ako, para di nya ako bitawan. So I can feel him bring me to my bed. So naalala ko yun, and then naalala ko yung weak na sya na ako naman ang kumakarga sa kanya. So, it was very painful for us to see someone, and I think yan yung shared experiences siguro natin, di ba po? Someone that you play tennis with, you go out with, go to the mall with, and then suddenly makikita mo sila sa estadong ganun. Pero one thing that really kept us was yun nga yung sinabi ko, yung faith namin in each other, and really our faith in God. Nakakatawa po kasi, yung family namin, specially my mom; my mom was really the foundation of our faith in our family.

A funny thing happened when we were in the States, nagbago po lahat, although we always had faith, na may plano ang Diyos. Syempre, kaming pamilya pag nakikita namin yung Daddy ko, minsan nagtataka rin kami kung anong nangyayari. Pero the funny thing was, yung Daddy ko, na sa aming lahat, sya yung least church goer, siguro masasabi nating the one who had the least faith, sya na ang nagsabi sa amin, in fact he would tell us na "Alam nyo mga anak, Sandy, nagsisimba lang ako dati kasi gusto ko lang pakitang tao rin, nasanay lang rin kasi ako." He was telling us that during the time that he was sick; but it was funny because habang humihina yung katawan nya, his faith was growing; and he was getting so strong in his faith, where, literally, kinarga nya talaga yung family namin.

We all knew, and we had no doubt, na malalampasan nya yung trial na yun. Yung nangyari kasi sa amin is, my Dad underwent liver transplant surgery, and it was very successful, but months later, he was diagnosed with stomach cancer. So, yun po, maraming nagtatanong, up to now: What do you think about that, Lino? Parang you had so much faith, wasn't it so painful?

Kami, from the beginning, because of my Dad also, we believe that matutuloy itong transplant, and magiging successful yung transplant because God had a plan for my Dad. Yun ang sinasabi namin palagi. And slowly, even up to now, we realize that God did have a plan. Ngayon, when I think about it, the most touching and the most important moment for me was after our operation, bale ano po ako, siguro mga 6 to 8 hours akong inoperahan, tapos yung Dad ko almost half a day, 12 hours. Ang kidney transplant po kasi, di ba dalawa po yan, isa i tra transplant. Yung liver, medyo maselan, kasi isa lang yung liver natin. So one liver, hahatiin yung liver mo, tapos i-a-ice muna, isasara yung liver mo na kalahati, i sti-stitch nila, so medyo maselan yun. In fact, there was to a tube attached to me, kasi may waste pa rin na lumalabas, e. Yung katas ng liver ko na hiniwa.

For days, we didn't tell my Dad. Hindi alam ng Daddy ko na ako yung mag do-donate sa kanya. Because ayaw na nya sana na meron sa aming mga anak nya na madadamay. So, anyway, dami namin ginawang mga rason, dami naming ginawang mga palusot. The day of the operation, ang sabi nya, "Where's Lino? Where's Lino?" Ang sabi may sipon ako. Hindi nya alam nandun lang ako sa tabing cubicle, at nire-ready na ako.

So, yung most important moment for me was when 2 to 3 days later, after the operation, my Dad was in the ICU. Hindi kaagad sinabi sa kanya after the operation. We waited mga 3 days, kasi gusto ko, gusto namin, makita nya ako na nakatayo. Kasi, kung nakaupo pa ako, my Dad could see na nanghihina ako, baka sumama yung loob nya. E, he was still fighting. So after 3 days, medyo kaya ko na, inakyat ako na naka-wheelchair, and then just about 10 feet before his door, tumayo ako. That moment, nung nakita ko and our whole family saw, when my Dad opened his eyes, and he saw that I was the one who gave the liver; yung nakita nya, tumingin sya sa paligid nya, nakita nya yung buong pamilya nya nakapalibot sa kanya, to me that moment was worth it. Everything happened for that moment to happen. Because I felt that yung buong buhay ng Daddy ko, binigay nya to take care of his family. He deserved that moment, na nakita nya kami around his bed, and nakita nya ako, yung anak nya na nagbigay sa kanya ng liver.

When people ask "Hindi ba sayang yung nangyari, Lino?" Sa akin, it really wasn't, because the look on my dad's face, the satisfaction na alam nya the operation was successful and "nagkaroon ako ng pamilya who stopped with their lives, and who were willing to donate, to risk their lives for me." That was so important to us.

My Dad was able to live for 2 more months. After yung successful liver operation, he was diagnosed as "clean." He did not Hepa B anymore. Medyo maselan yung mga nangyari. Maraming mga iba't-ibang rason. Some say it was because of his anti-rejection medicine, nag sprout yung stomach cancer; but in any case, he developed stomach cancer. Because kilala namin yung Dad ko, ang sabi namin "Dito ka na lang mag therapy sa States, Dad, para hindi ka na makita ng mga tao sa Philippines ." Pero ayaw nya. He wanted to go home. Kahit na ganun ang hitsura nya. When he went home, parang pelikula talaga. Syempre anim na buwan kaming tahimik ang buhay dun. Pagbalik namin dito, there were about 15 to 20 reporters na nagaabang na sa kanya. Tinatago namin yung Daddy ko. Nagalit pa nga yung Daddy ko, sabi nya: "Hindi, papasukin nyo, papasukin nyo." So that was when everybody saw na nga. That was when Senator Drillon visited my Dad. Nakita na nga ng lahat ng tao what condition my Dad was in.

After that, Dad ko na mismo yung nagpilit na he wanted to be heard. He wanted us to tell our story and he wanted us to tell the story of how we kept together as a family. He wanted to tell the story of how our faith in God allowed us to go through this; because kung titingnan nyo naman, di ba ho? Hindi naman sya success story. In the end, namatay din yung Daddy ko. But it was a story of how a family stuck together and it is a story of how we had faith in God and He helped us go throught the process. Yun nga po, di ba? Sa lahat naman po sa atin, it's really, parang sinabi palagi, cliche, pero totoo. It's the journey, because a lot of us don't know, especially if we have someone with cancer in the family, we really don't know how long the journey and where it would take us. But having faith, and especially having faith in the Lord and in our family, helps us in our journey.

Yun po, ngayon, lalong lumilinaw rin yung pangyayari siguro because even after my Dad died, na realize namin: Oo nga, tama, the Lord had a mission for my Dad. His mission was to go home to the Philippines and to be able to tell his story, and also for us kids, to see Dad, and to see the example that my Dad gave. Bacause nakita namin, ever since nung lumalaki kami, ang Daddy namin, sya yung proud na matapang; but when we saw him in that state, it taught us such a valuable lesson; and I'm sure ako, yung ate ko, yung kuya ko, my brother Ren, we will all live the rest of our lives holding on to that lesson that my Dad gave us.

After my Dad died, ang dami nang nangyari sa amin. All our decisions were guided on the fact na nangyari sa amin ito. So, pati ako, yung path ko po, isa sa pinaka greatest pain ko po siguro, is my Dad never got to see me be a director. Yun medyo, hanggang ngayon po, medyo malaking ano sa akin yun. Pero, right now, when I do stories, when I do "Maalala mo Kaya" and now when I'm doing our soap opera, in fact, in the next few weeks, we're introducing one of the story lines where a family has to deal with one of the family members with cancer. So, it's something na I was happy that it would be included. So, the next few weeks, our soap opera is one of the most watched, and we wanted to portray a family that was going through the process of having someone with cancer.

Yun po, in little ways, kami mga magkakapatid, I'm sure our lives changed. The priorities of my sister, my brother in politics, and my priorities as a director also changed. Yun po, so, in the end siguro, there's really no way of coping because until now, lahat po tayo, the pain never leaves us, but I guess it's how inspired and how we realize the lives of the ones we've lost can inspire us and can make us better people. And I think, when you look deep down, all of us na nawalan ng minamahal sa buhay dahil sa cancer ay may napulot at may natutunan at yung isang bagay na ito, if we hold on to it and if we believe in it, can make us better people and make us even touch the lives of the people around us.

Yun lang po. Thank you very much.