FACES OF CEBU: Carrie Martinez Bargayo, 37, cancer warrior

Carrie Martinez Bargayo and her journey to be cancer free

CEBU CITY, Philippines — The moment she found out she had cancer, Carrie Martinez Bargayo knew she had a tough battle ahead of her.

But the 37-year-old teacher was not one to give up that easily.

Bargayo, a resident of Barangay Busay in Cebu City, remained positive that she would survive her fight against breast cancer. For her, the battle begins with her.

“Whatever the problem or health issues we have, we have to trust ourselves to survive because we can never trust anyone. We can’t expect them to survive for us. We should be the ones to strive to survive for ourselves,” Bargayo said.

It was in 2019 when she noticed that she had a lump in one of her breast. Since she knew that her co-teachers also had lumps, she did not mind this at first because she didn’t want this to affect her busy schedule at school.  She also did not have time to go to the hospital for a check up because of work.

“I didn’t feel any pain but it was growing bigger. While I was having classes, it was getting more painful. I endured this for a year because I didn’t want my students to feel that I was not in good condition,” Bargayo said.

In July 2020, she noticed that the lump grew bigger and bigger. But because of the COVID-19 pandemic, she could not go to hospitals to have it checked. So she tried naturopathy.

She also continued to teach because she did not want to leave her students hanging.

But then it became worse.

In December 5, 2021, she started to have a difficult time in breathing. The day after, she lost consciousness and was brought to the hospital.

“They brought me to the hospital but no one would accept me because the hospitals were full due to COVID,”she said.

Luckily, they were able to get admitted in a private hospital in Cebu City.

But the news wasn’t good. She was told she had cancer and that her chances were slim.

“The doctor couldn’t promise I was going to live because I had a 50/50 chance and I was not responding. They were having a difficult time so they couldn’t promise I’d be okay,” she said.

What made things worse is that she heard about a relative who gave up on her.

“A relative suggested to just give up because if they tried to save me, there was a slim chance and it would just be a waste of money. It was painful to hear. But my sister didn’t agree. She, my family, decided they’d fight for me,” Bargayo said.

Bargayo got help from those who mattered most. She survived months of chemotherapy with the support of her husband, Ernesto, her sisters, Shu and Yheng, and her mother Tata.  But the battle continues as she still needs to go through bone therapy for two years.

Despite all the challenges, such as medicine expenses, Bargayo said she remains hopeful that everything will be okay.

“Without faith, I would have given up already. But because of my faith, I became stronger,” she said. “I am very proud and very happy that despite the little chance to live, less chance to recover, I never gave up. At the same time, I really am fighting until now. I am always praying to be a cancer survivor soon,” she added.

With regards to her teaching, Bargayo said if it’s God’s will to allow her, she is definitely going for it.

*For those willing to help our cancer warrior, one may contact her at 0906-049-1075.

/bmjo

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