MANILA, Philippines - Another member of the Hong Kong-based cancer support group has passed away.
Noemi Tolmo, who was one of the four Buhay Ka members recently featured by Interaksyon.com, died on August 1, according to a Facebook account set up by her former colleagues in Hong Kong. She was 49 years old.
“Nag-text ang kapatid na lalaki ni Noemi na si Teodoro Tolmo, (to) inform us na namatay si Noemi noong August 1, 2012 at 12:45 a.m.,” said the post by Filmcass HK.
[Noemi's brother Teodoro Tolmo texted to inform us that Noemi died on August 1, 2012 at 12:45 a.m..]
Only last month, another Buhay Ka member, Nida Ampaguey, also passed away 20 days after coming home from Hong Kong. Ampaguey also succumbed to breast cancer after working in Hong Kong for two decades.
Rising incidence of breast cancer in HK
Breast cancer has become the most common cancer affecting women in the city-state since 1993, according to the Hong Kong Breast Cancer Foundation.
The foundation said that cases of female breast cancer in Hong Kong had doubled to 2,945 in 2009 from 1,152 in 1993.
"On average, about 8 women are diagnosed with breast cancer every day. The number of male cases has also increased from 4 to 17," the foundation said.
The lifetime breast cancer risk for females in the ciyt-state is 1 in every 19. In 2009, 60 percent of the women in Hong Kong diagnosed with the disease were aged 40-59.
"The older the age, the greater the risk," the foundation said.
"Young people are not immune from the disease. The youngest case reported was below 20 years old," it added.
Interview with Tolmo before she died
Interaksyon.com was able to interview Tolmo on the phone last June in her home in General Santos City. One of the pioneers of the cancer support group when it was founded by running priest Fr. Robert Reyes in 2007, Tolmo returned to the Philippines only in March this year.
She worked in the former British territory for 20 years as a domestic worker where she was diagnosed with breast cancer. After five years, the cancer metastasized to her bones and liver.
During the interview, Tolmo said she had a very supportive employer but she decided to go home because she felt that she had become a burden to them.
“Pinipilit ako ng mag-asawa (na huwag umuwi). Pero ayaw kong maging pabigat. Naisip ko pag bigla akong namatay mas malaki ang gastos nila sa akin. Umiiyak siya (amo) at naisip ko pa daw sila,” said Tolmo who practically raised all of her employer’s three children.
[The couple insisted that I stay. But I didn't want to be a burden to them. I thought that if I suddenly die, they would spend a lot for me. My boss cried because I could still think of their welfare.]
When she was diagnosed with cancer, her employer even brought Tolmo's husband to Hong Kong so he could have a job there and also take care of his wife.
However, Tolmo’s husband only created problems for Noemi prompting her to send him back home.
It's expensive to get sick
Before she succumbed to cancer, Tolmo had only one chemotherapy session in a General Santos hospital because of money problems. She paid a total of P80,000 for that single procedure in April, but back in Hong Kong, she paid only HK$ 100 (less than P600) for a chemo session.
“Di ako makapaniwalang ganyan kabilis maubos ang pera dito. Sa four months ko dito 'yong dala kong pera wala na,” she complained.
[I could not believe that money here runs out that fast. In only four months, the money I brought with me was gone already.]
Because she could not continue her chemotherapy session, Tolmo resorted to taking oral drugs to ease the excruciating pain in her bones.
She was planning to sell their house in General Santos to pay for her medications.
“Hindi ko kaya ang sakit [I couldn't bear the pain],” were her last words during that interview.
source: interaksyon.com
