I was talking to my wife a week ago about her experience getting his second of three shots of anti-cervical cancer vaccine and she really squirms to recall the ill-feeling of dose.

I told her it's for her own good. At least, she will be safe for life against the disease that is reported to be the second most common type of cancer among women in the Philippines especially if she completes the required doses before the end of the year.

Two vaccines, Gardasil and Cervarix, are available to prevent HPV infection.  I have been a believer of the old saying that prevention is the best cure.  So, I recommend investing on any of the two brands which you can inquire in the nearest clinic or hospital in your area.


CECAP or Cervical Cancer Prevention Program is working towards eliminating cervical cancer in the Philippines.  The group is also striving to develop centers of excellence for service, training, and research for healthcare providers and advocates.  This center shall be a model for the prevention of cervical cancer especially for the underserved.  You can reach them via tel. no. 523-3274 or email: cecap_phil@yahoo.com.

Here are some Cervical cancer facts that I got from online info hub www.medicinenet.com:

"Causes and risk factors for cervical cancer have been identified and include human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, having many sexual partners, smoking, taking birth control pills, and engaging in early sexual contact.  The most common symptoms and signs of cervical cancer are abnormal bleeding and pelvic pain.    Cervical cancer can be diagnosed using a Pap smear or other procedures that sample the cervix tissue.  Chest X-rays, CT scan, MRI, and a PET scan may be used to determine the stage of cervical cancer.  Cancer of the cervix requires different treatment than cancer that begins in other parts of the uterus."

I would also like to ask fellow bloggers to participate in “Charity Blogging for Cancer Awareness” organized by blogger Stef dela Cruz of Life and Fever. Through this event, we can help increase cancer awareness. In addition, for every 10 blogs that join this affair, she will donate one Prosure formula to CanShare, a support group for cancer warriors and survivors. To join, follow the mechanics below:

1. Write a blog post of 300 words on cancer. The goal is to increase cancer awareness, so writing useful information on cancer detection and prevention are ideal.

2. Link to this URL: http://www.lifeandfever.com/2011/09/charity-blogging-for-cancer-awareness.html and inform your readers about Charity Blogging for Cancer Awareness.

3. Mention in your blog post that a whole-day event for cancer patients and survivors is to be held this December. The event will include contests, freebies, inspirational talks, and performances. Donations are accepted and may be forwarded via PayPal to doc_alma_jones (at) yahoo (dot) com.

4. Using the comment form below, post the URL of your blog entry.

5. For every ten blog entries, CanShare receives one Prosure package. (Prosure is a nutrition formula that helps manage weight loss due to cancer.)

6. Deadline of entries: September 30, 2011, 5 p.m.
 

Are you one proud Pinoy and want to do something to help uplift the image of our country to the international scene?

Well, you can do it with just a simple text.

Even President Noynoy Aquino has asked all Filipinos to support the call for text vote,“I need your help. I need text votes so that the Palawan underground river will be proclaimed as one of the New Seven Wonders of Nature.” This was his message during a recent students-educators conference where he encourage everyone to take part in the government’s campaign to promote Palawan’s Underground River.
 
Here's the complete details of the campaign:

Mobile users who wish to get more information about the polling service will have to send in N7W to 2861.  They will be charged for every successfully sent message:

Globe – P2.50
Smart – P2.50
Sun – P2.00

When users wish to send their text votes, they will have to text PPUR, PPUR7, and/or PPUR15 to 2861. They will be charged and will receive a confirmation reply for every successful text.

Globe Subscribers*
1 vote – “PPUR” to 2861 (P2.50 each text)
10 votes – “PPUR7” to 2861 (P20.00 each text)
15 votes – “PPUR15” to 2861 (P30.00 each text)

Sun Subscribers*
1 vote – “PPUR” to 2861 (P2.50 each text)
7 votes – “PPUR7” to 2861 (P15.00 each text)
15 votes – “PPUR15” to 2861 (P30.00 each text)

Smart Subscribers*
1 vote – “PPUR” to 2861 (P2.50 each text)
7 votes – “PPUR7” to 2861 (P15.00 each text)
15 votes – “PPUR15” to 2861 (P30.00 each text)

*Exclude the double quote (“) when texting.

*Note: Free PPUR Trivia for every PPUR keyword sent & free wallpaper for every PPUR7 and PPUR15 sent.

Voting Period is extended until November 11, 2011 as per DTI-NCR approval.

A Dutch study suggests that regular consumption of cocoa may halve risk of dying and lower blood pressure.

On a report posted in www.chocolate.org, at five year intervals over a 15-year period, 470 men aged over 65 were questioned about their dietary intake of cocoa and received physical examinations. The men were placed in three groups according to their level of cocoa consumption and data about their health was collected. During the study, 314 men died, 152 due to cardiovascular disease.

“The men in the group that consumed the least cocoa were twice as likely to die from a heart attack than those in the group that consumed the most cocoa – at least 4g per day – and the risk remained lower even when other factors such as smoking, physical exercise and weight were taken into account,” says lead researcher Brian Buijsse, at the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment. “And men in the study who consumed the most cocoa were less likely to die of any cause,” he adds.

It is also through chocolates that high school classmates of Percival Baccay hopes that they can help their friend who was diagnosed recently with Nasopharyngeal cancer. 

This type of cancer affects the nasopharynx, the upper part of the pharynx (throat) behind the nose.  Air and food pass through the pharynx on the way to the trachea or the esophagus. An opening on each side of the nasopharynx leads into an ear. Nasopharyngeal cancer most commonly starts in the squamous cells that line the oropharynx (the part of the throat behind the mouth).

Percival is in need of support from anyone who is willing to help him go through his medications and medical procedures.  One way of lending a helping hand is by purchasing Percy’s Chocolates, home-made goodies prepared by his classmates from high school to raise funds.


Each box only cost P50 each and every centavos that will be earned will be given to Percival’s family and another classmate of their batch, Dra. Sarah Moral who was diagnosed with leukemia.  To order, kindly send a PM to Jacky Fagarita or Wency Ponggay Toscano via Facebook.

Remember that in every bite of Percy’s Chocolate that you’ll take gives a ray of hope for this good man.

I was 12 and she was 10 then.

No, this is not a love story but this post is definitely full of love for a dear friend who I have never seen for almost 18 years.  A classmate from high school posted a note about her and was delighted to read about it only to find out an unexpected  news.

Well, let me introduce her first.  She is Dra. Sarah Moral.  Actually, it was only my sister Connie, her classmate in high school for 4 years, who informed me that she did become a doctor which is not a surprise to me.  She is a smart little girl who loves to collects medals in our school, Niño Jesus House of Studies (NJHS).

Back in high school, I was sort of his kuya.  Our school is not really big so students can really make friends from other grade levels.  I can’t remember how many times I was assigned as their class "big brother for a day” every time their adviser was on leave.  She made my task easier because she is a natural leader who would take over the group initiating educational games and activities rather than spending time in one corner of the blackboard and making a list of who were noisy and standing.

She was also a co-member in our dear Cultural Club in NJHS.  It is in that group that I discovered and developed talents I never knew I had. One proud moment was when beat the colossal Rizal High School (RHS), that time was the biggest high school in the world as per the Guiness Book of Records, in the Sabayang Pagbigkas category, a city-wide competition that RHS ruled for years.

I also had the privilege of being an officer of the Student Council of our school where Sarah was also elected.  Meetings were fun, makulit but productive.  After I left NJHS in 1993, I never heard of her until I was introduced to Ramen for Sarah.    

Ramen for Sarah was created out of our compelling desire to bring together all of Dra. Sarah Moral's family, friends, acquaintances and colleagues to rally behind her and support her in her fight against cancer.*

The word "ramen" originated from the Chinese (Mandarin) word "la miàn" meaning "pulled noodles." Noodles, according to Chinese belief, symbolize longevity and are often served during Chinese New Year and birthdays. It's is widely believed that eating noodles signify long life to the person consuming them.

Sarah is in need of our prayers and financial support. We will be organizing a series of fundraisers in the coming weeks and months to raise the money needed to subsidize her hospital care and treatment. For those who wish to contribute financially, you may make a deposit to any BDO branch:

Account No:1420055044 (BDO Rockwell Ortigas)
Account Name: Philip Lance A. Liu OR Miranila E. Hernandez (for check donations, please address to either person)

Please send an email to ramenforsarah@hotmail.com once you've made the deposit so we can acknowledge its receipt. Any amount is very much appreciated!

Thank you for who ever will be touched of this post and would support her.  Let's continue to pray for Sarah's full recovery. She has saved lives for years.  Now it's time that we help her save hers.

*Dra. Sarah Moral was diagnosed last June 28, 2011 with Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (ALL).

United Laboratories, Inc. (UNILAB) calls on the youth to help improve the health and wellness of the country, one community at a time, through its Unilab Ideas Positive, an idea-generation contest on social marketing programs that address health and wellness issues in communities.

Now on its second run, Unilab Ideas Positive program was launched as a response to the increase in community issues in hygiene and sanitation, nutrition, disease prevention and intervention, and environmental care and protection. Unilab believes that these concerns are more effectively addressed when two or more groups or organizations are working together in true Bayanihan spirit, the Filipino trait of working together to achieve a common goal.

Unilab is thus partnering with the youth to tap into their creativity, idealism and sense of social purpose to find fresh and innovative solutions to emerging and recurring health and wellness issues in communities. Unilab is not just providing youth groups a venue to be heard, but more importantly, empowering them to turn their ideas into reality.

A seed fund of Php100,000 is awarded to the winning team to implement their social marketing program for their chosen community. Two runner-up groups are given Php75,000 each to do the same for their programs.

Last year, Team Biggkas of the University of Asia and the Pacific (UA&P) bagged the grand prize for its farm-in-the-city concept, teaching hydroponics gardening to mothers in Barangay San Joaquin in Pasig City so they have their own sustainable source of vegetables within the community. Mothers made their first harvest of lettuce and kangkong in April this year. The local government of Pasig City has expressed a desire to replicate the same program in other barangays.

Due to the successful run last year, the program has now expanded from Metro Manila only to include nearby provinces like Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Bulacan, and Rizal.

Interested students can form a team of five and submit their idea through http://www.unilabideaspositive.com until July 18. Ten semi-finalists will be chosen to undergo a 3-day camp in August where social marketing thought-leaders led by 2009 CNN Hero of the Year Efren Penaflorida and social marketing guru Dr. Eduardo ‘Ned’ Roberto will help teams to firm up their social marketing plans.

Five finalists teams will be chosen to defend their plans on Sept 18 before a multi-sector panel of judges that will pick the team that wins the seed money from Unilab.

Image taken from www.mybooks24-7.com

A-Book-Saya Group (ABSG), a non-government group dedicated to the task of uplifting the literacy of poor kids in Mindanao is looking for donors of books, new and used.

Couple Armand and Annora Nocum, a Christian and a Muslim respectively, opened the Kristiyano-Islam (Kris) Peace Library-Quezon City which is actually a portion of their house in Barangay Holy Spirit converted as a library.

Thousands of children from their community and nearby places have benefited in this good deed initiated by this couple who has also received donations not only in the Philippines but from foreigners who came to know about their mini library.

Actually, the library in Quezon City is the second book hub they built after the successful project they launched in Mindanao

For more than three years, the two-story Kris Library in Zamboanga has been giving thousands of poor Christian and Muslim kids free use of books and research materials, free basic computer lessons, free use of computers. It also has some 100 scholars. ABSG has likewise given some 6,000 books and magazines to poor kids since 2001.

If you'll have nothing to do this weekend, why not do a general cleaning and you might find some books that have been dust holders for years in your place. Just a little cleaning, these reasding materials will educate minds who would be the future of our country.

Donors may bring their stuff at the Kris Peace Library at No. 9, Doña Isidora Street, Don Antonio Heights, Diliman, Quezon City or at Dean & Kings Legal PR and Communications Marketing firm located at Suite 300, Kimvi Realty & Dev’t Bldg., 1191 Maria Orosa St., Ermita, Manila 100.

I received a message from one of my FB friends, Omar Itay who is one of the organizers of the fund-raising event Survive: An Open Shoot For A Cause to be held on May 29, 2011 (9 am - 6 pm) at the
Rainforest Park, Maybunga, Pasig City.
   
Here's the message that I got from Omar:

We have organized an OPEN PHOTO SHOOT wherein proceeds will be donated to one of our colleagues who was diagnosed with Lung Cancer. He is the only child and His parents are already of senior age. Sadly, his mother has diabetes

Registration Fee: 500 pesos only.

Inclusive of 4 High Resolution Photos of your choice (SOFT COPY)
Hair and Make Up

Early Reservations will received additional 1 High Resolution Photo (Soft Copy)
Just deposit the registration fee to the below Account

Hair and Make Up Artist: Darvin Macabales
Photographer: Renen Narido, Alvin Elizalde, Jeff Romualdo, Dhen Caballero

** BPI - JAYSON ILAGAN - 481-906-1318

For Reservations and Inquiries: Pls Contact
Jayel: 09175074174
Laiza: 09173582661

* We are also in need of Volunteer Hair and Make-Up artists & Photographers who are willing to share their talents for a Cause. Kindly contact same people. 

You can also to the FB page of the event and share it on your wall.  Just click HERE to visit the site.