First-ever Blood Cancer Patient Forum lobbies for better resources to better fighting chances

Each blood warrior’s journey is different. From the disparity in healthcare resources to the shared hope for something better, the 2024 Blood Cancer Patient Forum sheds light to key issues to rally key private and public stakeholders to take action.  

The 2024 Blood Cancer Patient Forum, themed Kanser sa Dugo, Laban ng Bawat Pilipino, is the first-ever patient forum focused on blood cancers. It aims to bring together advocates and key stakeholders to raise awareness, and push the agenda for better access to healthcare for Filipino blood cancer patients. 

Blood cancer is caused by mutations in the DNA within blood cells, with Lymphoma, Leukemia, and Myeloma being the most common types of blood cancers. According to the Global Cancer Observatory of the World Health Organization, in the Philippines, an estimated 12,000 Filipinos a year are being diagnosed with blood cancer. That’s 33 Filipinos a day– 33 impacted lives forced to face an uncertain future due to blood cancer. 

Having lived through the battle, Jheric Delos Angeles, Stage 4 Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma survivor, and his wife Anna Tapel-Delos Angeles, saw the need to create a community of Filipino blood cancer patients and their family members in order to educate more people and provide much needed support to those in need, including fighting for better healthcare. The couple founded Lymphoma Philippines and the Blood Cancer Alliance of the Philippines. 

Lymphoma Philippines is a non-profit organization for Lymphoma patients, survivors, and caregivers aiming to spread awareness and education on Lymphoma, and connect the community through medically-approved Lymphoma-related campaigns in the country. The couple also formed the Blood Cancer Alliance of the Philippines (BCAP) to help bridge resources to more blood cancer patients in partnership with Lymphoma Philippines, Kanser sa Adolescents & Young Adults (KAYA) Community, EPCALM Adult Leukemia Foundation, MyeSpeak Foundation, Myelofibrosis Philippines, Touched by Max, Philippine College of Hematology and Transfusion Medicine, Healthway Cancer Care Hospital, and Enna Health. 

“A lot has yet to be done in increasing awareness for blood cancers in the Philippines. We at the Philippine College of Hematology and Transfusion Medicine are committed to improving the blood cancer situation in the Philippines. A lot has been done, but there’s still a lot to be worked on,” shares Dra Clariza Santos, Department Head, Hematology Oncology, Healthway Cancer Care Hospital.

The event also saw the official introduction of BLOOM Philippines. The Blood Cancer Alliance of the Philippines, in partnership with the Philippine College of Hematology and Transfusion medicine, collaborates on a study that aims to gather baseline epidemiologic data on the diagnosis and treatment of blood malignancies in the Philippines (BLOOM Philippines). The goal of BLOOM PH is to create a registry containing demographic and clinical data of blood cancer patients, which will then be integrated in a hospital-based cancer registry system.

This new initiative joins The LymphomaQR Project, an initiative launched by Lymphoma Philippines in 2024 that aims to make information accessible to the general public through an easy-to-use and familiar tool. With the goal of helping Filipinos have access to relevant information all throughout their Lymphoma journey, the LymphomaQR chatbot hopes to lessen the burden that they face. With LymphomaQR, anyone can:

• Know more about Lymphoma, its symptoms
• Possible treatment options 
• Available financial assistance programs 

“We consider it a great privilege to be able to do this for our community of warriors and survivors. It is a difficult battle, and we want to lessen the hurdles in whatever way we can at the moment, all while we continue to push for reform on a larger scale, says BCAP convenor Jheric Delos Angeles.

ADVT.

This article is brought to you by Blood Cancer Alliance of the Philippines.