Leukemia Patient Shares Experience Getting Medicines Amid Luzon Lockdown
A Leukemia patient shares his experience of how he gets his chemo medicines amid Luzon lockdown due to coronavirus threat.
A person diagnosed with Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia, 32-year-old Hedel Cruz Jr had to make his way to the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office in Quezon City to claim a Guarantee Letter, a document he waits for two months in order to obtain his medications.
Hedel Cruz first posted the placard to be used to find his guide from Antipolo to Quezon City. “Preparing for tomorrow. Tayo-tayo na lang talaga ang magtutulungan. Magtiwala tayo sa kabutihan ng iba sa panahon ng epidemya,” he said.
“Papuntang QC para sa aking chemo medicines. Makikisakay po! Salamat,” as seen written on piece of folder. The next day he continued sharing how he could reach his destination. Hedel said he walked from Masinag to Sta. Lucia about three kilometers away.
Later he reached Santolan again. “Maraming salamat sa mga nagpaabot ng kagustuhang tumulong. Pero na-traffic at hindi rin nila ako mapuntahan dahil barado ang Marcos Highway,” he said. At that point, he seemed to have lost hope that he would still have a ride and continues to walk to QC.
Hours later he shared that he had arrived at the PCSO at Lung Center with the help of a “Jay” with a black vehicle. “Salamat kay Jay na nadaanan ako sa may Santolan…Black yung sasakyan niya. Feeli ko siya si Batman,” Cruz said.
But Cruz did not immediately respond. He was repeatedly told by other people that no one would take care of his guarantee letter from the PCSO but that Cruz’s desire to take medicine to survive was overcome.
He was told many times to go home because no one cared for him but he kept waiting. After much reasoning and waiting because no social worker would interview him. Eventually, he also got the guarantee letter and medication he needed. “We are successful,” he said in a post.
Through his experience, Cruz hopes that the government will put measures in place that will consider the situation of marginalized sectors, especially in the middle of the coronavirus outbreak.
“Sa gobyerno, sana ‘wag nilang kalimutan ang mga gaya namin. Wala kaming angal sa pagpapatupad ng ECQ as long as may malinaw na polisiya at guidelines para sa lahat, kasama ang mga nasa laylayan at may mga pangangailangang medikal,” he added.
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