A former medical student from the University of Santo Tomas got emotional as she looked back on her journey of fighting against cancer.
Ianne Bautista was a first-year medical student when she was diagnosed with Leukemia.
“Kakasimula ko lang talaga. Tapos, when I got the final diagnosis, they told me it was acute myeloid leukemia. Sabi ko, ‘Okay, I’ll proceed with treatment.’ And then, they told me na I have to take a leave of absence for school. Doon talaga parang… sorry. Doon talaga bumagsak ‘yung parang mundo ko,” she shared with The Philippine STAR.
“I was chasing my dreams. I was in my 20s, I felt okay, I was in a really good place in my life. I’ve been working my whole life towards this moment. Ang sakit naman na a disease is gonna take it away from me. Natakot na ako,” she emotionally added.
While growing up, Ianne said that she was admitted to the hospital for other illnesses.
“I’ve been hospitalized multiple times for pneumonia, for dengue, and other things. May constant exposure, madalas talaga kami sa hospital,” she said.
Her constant visit to different medical facilities and seeing her relatives’ medical professions sparked her calling in the same field.
“As a child, ‘yung interest ko in medical technology also grew from the fact na gusto kong tumitingin sa mga microscope. I’m a very science-oriented person talaga from childhood,” she recalled.
Adding, “So, primarily, ‘yun talaga ‘yung main motivation ko kung bakit I chose medicine or I had a liking for medicine. Gawa nga ‘yung constant exposure ko sa staff ng hospitals, sa mga medtechs, sa mga doctors. But also, I have titos and titas who are doctors. I want to be like them also.”
That’s why she was happy that after finishing her pre-med degree, she was able to pass the National Medical Admission Test.
But while chasing her dreams to become a doctor, she suddenly felt weak and sick. At first, she thought that it was just because of her busy schedule at school.
“I couldn’t walk a lot. Parang hindi ko kayang pumunta from my condo door to the elevator nang hindi hinihingal. Tapos, mabilis akong magkapasa. Pero, there was a period na parang, nung naligo ako,muntik na akong mag-faint. So, parang at that time, sabi ko, ‘Ah, okay, magpapa-check na ako.’ Tapos, ako na lang din ‘yung titingin ng results ko kasi kaya ko naman siya intindihin.Kasi medtech naman ako,” she narrated.
That’s when she decided to take herself to the hospital for a checkup.
“Sinend ko sa kanya [tito] ‘yung results. Sabi ko, ‘Tito, bakit po ganito ‘yung results ko?’ Sobrang baba lahat ng blood counts and everything. Tapos sabi niya, magpa-ER na daw ako. Kasi if ever, baka I might go into heart failure if I don’t.Kasi nung time na ‘yun, parang ‘yung resting heart rate ko was at 130, which is very high. Kahit na nakaupo lang ako, sobrang bilis na heartbeat ko,” Ianne said.
“Lumuwas siya [mom] from our hometown papunta sa Manila. Tapos, doon na nagsimula. And that was aroundmid-February [2025]. ‘Yung first hospitalization where I received four bags ng red blood cells para lang ma-correct ‘yung anemia ko. Kasi at that time, I was so pale na all the colors were drained from my face. Do’n din nakita na puro cancer cells na ‘yung nasa bone marrow ko,” she added.
Since she was in the medical field, Ianne easily understood her condition but was determined to continue with the suggested procedures.
“I just really wanted to get better.Nung time na may results na ‘yung bone marrow biopsy ko and my doctors pulled my parents aside, nakaramdam na ako ng kaba. Ang dami nang pumapasok sa isip ko. Especially because I was in the medical field. So parang ang hirap na not to think anything of it kapag may alam ka sa pwedeng mangyari,” she stressed.
Ianne underwent chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant.
“I’m still grieving. KasiI was in a very good place when the disease happened. They were very emotional. My parents. Especially ‘yung tito ko, ‘yung una kong tinawagan na doctorhe always asks for updates. Kasi alam niya rin na gusto ko talaga mag-med, na there’s so much more to life after my cancer treatment. So, lagi niyang sinasabi, ‘Konti na lang, kaya mo pa ‘yan, you can push through this,’” she said.
“There were multiple days na sobrang hirap ng chemo, na it was taking a toll on my mental health. Pero sabi ko talaga, sabi ko, “I really, really want to get through this to be able to live my life again,” she added.
After several months of being in and out of the hospital, Ianne is now a cancer survivor.
“Up until now, I still look back and cherish ‘yung mga moments na nasa med school ako. I look back at my photos every now and then. Tapos, I’ve come to accept the fact na maybe some time in the future, gusto ko kasi talaga eh. So, after my treatment, after my recovery, I will do whatever it takes to go to med school again. As a patient who wants to pursue medicine, I can empathize with my future patients better because I’ve been there,” she noted.
