Instead of love and money, a cancer warrior wished for healing while she was eating grapes under the table last New Year’s celebration.
“Sa akin kasi, I went through a lot in 2024. Wala namang mawawala if I’ll do it, ‘di ba?Sabi ko, sige, mag-12 grapes ako. My intent was really just to have a good life moving forward. Because I witnessed the most brutal aspects that no one should ever go through,” 24-year-old Aiyanna Go told in an exclusive interview.
According to Aiyanna, it was in June 2024 when she first felt flu-like symptoms. But since she was busy with her full-time job, she decided to take a rest.
“Doon lang after the presentation, parang nafe-feel ko parang may mali. Alam ko hindi to normal. Pero sina-shrug off ko lang kasi baka kulang sa tulog, stress, etc. Tapos I woke up in the middle of the night. Parang may lagnat ako. So, I took a temperature. It was around 38 [degrees Celsius]. Hindi siya nag-stabilize ‘yung fever ko. Bigla siyang bumaba, bigla siya tumaas ulit, bumaba, tumaas,” she recalled.
After her symptoms progressed, she called her mother, Jenny, who was based in Cebu to tell her current medical situation. Mommy Jenny advised Aiyanna to go to the hospital for a medical check-up.
“In the afternoon, nakuha ko na ‘yung results ko. Finoward ko sa mom ko.Finoward niya sa local doctor namin. Tapos, she called me. Sabi niya, ‘Yanna, you need to go to the ER now.’ Parang how she said it, kalma. Pero alam mo, may mali. She said, ‘I’ll fly to Manila ngayon kasi I need to be with you,’” she said.
She then immediately went to an emergency room to find out what’s happening to her body.
“Sabi nila, ‘Ma’am, are you okay?’ They said, ‘Sige ma’am, we’ll take some tests again.’ ‘In your family, is cancer prevalent or is there anyone close to you who has cancer?’ So, medyo unconventional ‘yung mga questioning. ‘Ma’am, okay lang. We’ll check. We’ll check on you,’” she narrated.
Aiyanna was later confined in the hospital. Her mom arrived in Manila to assist her while she was sick.
“Bagong gising lang ako. Wala akong kain kasi pagod. Tapos, I’m still having my fever. Bigla lang the resident doctor…Sabi niya sa mom ko ‘It’s confirmed your daughter has cancer.’ Ha? May ganito pala akong sakit? ‘Totoo ba talaga to? Am I still dreaming?’” she said as she looked back on her diagnosis.
Adding, “Kasi sobrang normal ng routine ko. Every day, nag-workout ako. Every day, nag-office ako. It was very devastating. We underwent stages of grief. It was really in denial at first. I was telling myself, ‘How can this be? I sleep well, I eat well. If I’m stressed, I know how to manage it. What did I do wrong?’ I would say it was hardest for my mom to take in. Nag-rip out ‘yung heart mo, ‘What did I do wrong?’ ‘May ginawa ba akong mali?’”
The doctors advised that Aiyanna should undergo medical treatment as soon as possible. On June 26, 2024, her family decided to fly to Singapore to start her cancer treatment overseas.
It was confirmed that she had acute myeloid leukemia upon undergoing a biopsy in Singapore.
“When you receive chemotherapy, you don’t feel the pain during the infusion itself or when they put the medicine in you. ‘Yung fever ko, umabot ng 45 degrees. Sobrang taas. Tapos, nag-sepsis ako. Dami kong pinagdaan to the point na akala ko mamamatay na ako. ‘Yung chemotherapy, it kills more than it cures it. That’s what you feel. Parang pinatay na ako,” she noted.
“Kumakapit talaga kay Lord. Pero there were really times na sobrang durog na, sobrang pagod na ako.It’s so easy to give up eh.Pero for me kasi, dami ko pang gustong i-achieve. I wasn’t ready to die. So, ‘yung family ko talaga, sila ‘yung pillars ko during that very moment. Especially my mom,” she stressed.
Aiyanna is now on her way to recovery after she undergone bone marrow transplant in September 2024. She is currently in remission.
