Abu Dhabi: Thess Trinidad would like nothing more than to fly to the Philippines and spend a few days with her three oldest children, but the 37-year-old Filipina homemaker is too ill to travel.
Diagnosed with breast cancer this summer, Trinidad now has to undergo chemotherapy every week, especially as her cancer has proved to be quite aggressive.
“I miss my children so much, and I haven’t been able to see them in the last five years. My youngest daughter is here with me, thankfully, and I would love nothing more than to be given the all-clear so I can spend some time with all my children,” the mother-of-four told Gulf News.
Trinidad first started feeling ill in September 2015, and discovered a few lumps on her breast. Since she didn’t feel any pain, she decided to ignore the lumps.
“I had a stable job as a technical coordinator. My husband had just started his small telecommunication subcontracting business. We were struggling to get by, so I just decided to brush it off and focus on my family rather than myself,” she said.
Soon after, her health worsened and she could not continue working. By March this year, Trinidad was in pain and a biopsy revealed stage two breast cancer that quickly progressed to stage three.
“The doctors told me I had to get chemotherapy or the cancer would spread everywhere and claim my life. I did not know what to do, as we really did not have any money to spare,” Trinidad said.
Finally, after months of delay, Trinidad put together some funds and has begun her chemotherapy this month.
“I have to fight. My eldest child is only 16 years old and he will soon go to college. My youngest is just four years old. I am not ready to leave them yet,” she said, fighting back tears.
“I have to be strong for them. When I told them about the cancer, I promised them that mummy wasn’t going to die. And I so want to get better,” Trinidad continued.
She still has 10 sessions of chemotherapy left, and doctors have then recommended a lumpectomy followed by radiotherapy. But she is pressed for cash, and doesn’t know if she can get the treatment she needs.
“I don’t have a job and after everything that’s happened, we take home only Dh1,500 each month with which to pay our bills and rent. I simply don’t know how I will avail of the treatment, let alone the fact that we will soon have to pay for our son to go to university,” Trinidad said.
In fact, Trinidad said her first few sessions of chemotherapy were funded by a series of charity events held at The Cambridge High School Abu Dhabi, where children raised Dh8,500.
“Their generosity helped pay for my first four sessions, and they also helped me get a wig made of natural hair for me. I am so grateful for these blessings, and I hope I can beat this disease,” Trinidad said.
