Andi Manzano, host and radio personality, recently sat down with Bernadette Sembrano where she shared her personal story about her mother’s battle with cervical cancer.
In the interview, Andi recalled the life-changing moment when her mother sat her and her brother down to deliver the news. It was around the time Manzano was engaged to her husband.
“I was around 22 at that time, and she says, ‘Guys, I have to talk to you,’” she recounted.
She described how her mother’s words, “I went to the doctor,” immediately broke her and her brother into tears. When their mother revealed, “I’m positive with cancer,” it felt like their world had turned upside down.
The weeks following the diagnosis was one of the most frightening parts of their journey.
Andi shared, “She didn’t know what stage she was yet at that time… That first few weeks of finding out what stage she was in was the scariest.”
It was revealed that her mother had Stage 1 cervical cancer.
As the eldest, Manzano supported her mother through treatment.
“I did my research. I guess being the eldest parang I had to make things happen,” she remarked.
Andi opened up accompanying her mother to chemotherapy sessions and witnessed firsthand the physical and emotional toll it took on her in the span of two months.
Despite the challenges, the radio personality remained strong for her family. She also shared that her mother successfully recovered before her wedding, which became a defining moment in their lives.
Andi’s experience deepened Andi’s appreciation for her mother. It also ignited a passion for raising awareness about cervical cancer.
“I don’t want whatever I’ve been through to happen to you,” she said.
She then added, “If topics for losing weight or skincare could be talked about so freely, I think [cervical cancer] should also be something we should talk about.”
Cervical cancer is one of the most preventable cancers when detected early, yet over 8,000 Filipino women are affected annually. Andi Manzano’s advocacy aims to change these statistics by encouraging women to take proactive steps in their health.
Sources: (1)
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