BY ERWIN ‘AMBO’ DELILAN
THIS WEEK, hogging the headlines of local dailies in Bacolod City was the story of Janrey Artus who topped the Philippine Military Academy’s (PMA) “MASALIGAN” Class of 2021.
Negrenses, including myself, of course are beaming with pride with this kind of news.
No less than Gov. Bong Lacson himself congratulated this year’s PMA Valedictorian and Summa Cum Laude who hails from Barangay Guintorilan, San Enrique town in southern Negros.
The governor described the 25-year-old Artus as the “newest pride” of Negros Occidental.
He hopes Artus, who will be entering the Philippine Navy after their May 10 graduation, will serve as an exemplar and inspiration to all Negrenses.
On the other hand, I can’t help but empathize with the family, friends and classmates of John Marcel Concha of Barangay Tangub, Bacolod.
Concha is a Fifth Year or graduating Mechanical Engineering student of the University of Negros Occidental-Recoletos (UNO-R). He was diagnosed with Stage 4 colon cancer.
Racing against time, Concha’s classmates and friends bonded together and planned a move how to raise funds to help him in his medical needs. And the decision was: “Brownies & Cookies for-A-Cause”.
Through Facebook, they are now selling brownies and cookies. Brownies are sold at P150/box (with 12 pieces) while cookies (crinckles) are priced at P170/box (with 20 pieces).
Proceeds will be turned-over to Concha’s family sooner.
Unexpectedly, a post about Concha’s case spread like a “wildfire” in social media.
Scores of alumni of UNO-R College of Engineering were reportedly touched by Concha’s story.
Many of them shared the post to extensively promote this “sweetie” cause aimed at saving a cancer-stricken fellow.
And one of them is my friend, Engineer Leomel “Bong” Tambanillo, an electrical engineer by profession and also an alumnus of UNO-R.
“I think this is an initiative of Concha’s classmates,” Engineer Bong said, referring to the “Brownies & Cookies for-A-Cause”.
Engineer Bong hopes that the College of Engineering and the entire UNO-R community will also get involved in this noteworthy endeavor.
On the other hand, “Kanugon” is the appropriate Hligaynon word that best describes Concha’s pitiable situation.
Taking up an engineering course in college is no joke. One has to persevere solving a lot of Math problems from first year to fifth year.
In the case of Concha, he is about to graduate in June. It means he was able to hurdle the odds. But catching colon cancer is another battle to fight for. And Big C this is no ordinary nemesis. It requires one to double or triple his patience and perseverance in order to crush such.
My doctor-friend here in Negros said that when colon cancer is caught at an early stage, the survival rate is greater than 90 percent.
But if detected late, chances are “dim” anymore, he stressed.
In the US, www.verywellhealth.com reveals that colon cancer is the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths.
The same website explains that colon cancer is simply characterized by frequent abdominal pain or cramping.
In the case of Concha, though it is Stage 4, hope still remains as long as he has faith in God.
While in the hospital, I am sure he’s now armed with prayers alongside the determination to survive in order become a professional (mechanical) engineer sooner. Much more if he knows that many of his fellows are now showing ultimate care for him through this “sweetie” cause.
Being a former engineering student of UNO-R (1989-1990), I hope this simple column can help Concha.
I am praying that this will touch Panay News readers’ hearts so they will buy brownies and cookies, too.
Likewise, I am positive that Concha’s story will knock on the hearts of the city officials of Bacolod or any Samaritan so they can also contribute something for the medical needs of the soon-to-be-engineer victim.
Time is running, but not too late yet for us to show our “sweetie-sweetie” care and empathy for this young lad whose noble dream is almost abot-kamay or within reach.
Meanwhile, if you wish to order brownies or cookies through this “sweetie” cause, just visit the UNO-R Mechanical Engineering Department Facebook page or contact Cyrene Canoy at 0963-171-6160./PN
