Patient Stories Series
(No. 9)
Raising awareness about leukemia serves as a platform to educate the public about the disease’s early signs and symptoms, the importance of early detection, and available treatment options. Community events such as walks, runs, and fundraising activities provide opportunities for survivors, caregivers, and healthcare professionals to come together and share their experiences.
This was the guiding inspiration of a group of chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) patients in Pampanga who banded together and called themselves the “CML Warriors” of the Jose B. Lingad Memorial Medical Center (JBLMMC) in San Fernando City, Pampanga.
One of its members is an EPCALM-serviced patient, Michael Angelo M. Glee. According to him, his group advocate for increased knowledge about the disease to help remove the stigma associated with it. At the same time, he finds solace from his friends here, aside from the love of his family. A CML patient himself since 2019, he is actively involved in events and advocacy activities of the CML Warriors.
Michael Angelo sells street food in Macabebe, Pampanga, where he also resides in their family home, together with two brothers from a brood of nine siblings. Despite the initial struggle to accept his diagnosis, Michael Angelo’s participation in the CML Warriors programs helps him understand his medical condition better, and passes on valuable information about the disease to other patients and the general public.
In managing his chronic illness, Michael emphasizes the importance of discipline and maintaining a health mindset. He makes sure that he takes his medication regularly. Based on his recent medical examinations, there are positive improvements in his condition.
He is grateful for the support programs and services of the EPCALM Foundation, which have provided him the much needed hope to finally overcome the disease one day. (By Ralph Vale Joshua I. Solidum)
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