Yanyan’s biggest battle

The country’s official 2016 Rio Olympics flag bearer Ian (Yanyan) Lariba would’ve competed at the World Table Tennis Championships in Dusseldorf, Germany, last May 29-June 5 but a few weeks before her departure, she was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia. 

Lariba, 22, is now confined at St. Luke’s Medical Center in Quezon City, undergoing treatment that includes chemotherapy. She’s upbeat and optimistic to win the biggest battle of her life. Lariba’s always been a fighter and a tested winner. In five years playing table tennis with the La Salle varsity, she never lost in over 70 matches and led the Archers to three UAAP championships. Beyond sports, Lariba also worked hard to earn a degree with a major in Management of Financial Institutions.

Lariba booked the last available ticket to Rio at the Asian Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Hong Kong in April last year. She started out on the wrong foot, losing to Thailand’s Orawan Paranang then in the second round, won two in a row. Another loss to Thailand’s Nanthana Komwong set up a showdown with Indonesia’s Lilis Indriana for the last slot. Lariba won, 11-6, 11-2, 11-8, 11-5 and became the first Filipina to qualify in table tennis at the Olympics.

“We are praying for a full recovery,” said La Salle sports development head Nongnong Calanog. “Yanyan’s an amazing person, very inspiring. Although she finished her five-year UAAP eligibility and graduated, Yanyan was an unofficial part of the La Salle staff this season. The players look up to her and won the championship with Yanyan cheering them on. She’s lively and outgoing. That hasn’t changed. She’s determined to fight this and we’re backing her up all the way.”

Calanog said La Salle is coordinating efforts to raise funds for Lariba’s treatment. “We’re working with the PSC which is supporting Yanyan 100 percent,” he said. “We’re tapping our network and resources to generate more support. We’ve told her mother (Imelda) to focus on keeping Yanyan strong while we take care of raising funds to cover her expenses. Since Yanyan has a blood-specific condition, prospective donors will be screened carefully because extraction will be made directly for infusion when necessary.”

Calanog said at first, Lariba thought that blotches on her arms were a result of bumps during table training. They were actually symptoms of a blood disorder. “She sometimes complained of being light-headed but she didn’t pay attention to it,” said Calanong. “Then, she started to feel weak and was brought to the hospital for a checkup. The first diagnosis was possible dengue because her platelets were down. She was confined in the hospital for more tests and doctors later confirmed leukemia.”

Calanog said Lariba’s system has reacted positively to the first cycle of chemotherapy. “Her white blood cells are down to the normal level,” he said. “She’s been confined for two weeks now. We hope her condition continues to be stable. We’re all praying for God’s protection and for Yanyan to be strong in this battle. She told us not to worry, that everything will be okay.”

An athlete who’s come out openly to support Lariba is La Salle basketball player Kib Montalbo. Last Sunday, he announced on his Facebook and Instagram accounts that he’s putting up his personalized No. 15 Nike sneakers worn during La Salle’s championship run this season for auction with a starting bid of P10,000. All proceeds will go to Lariba. The bidding will be done through social media and ends at 11:59 p.m. tomorrow, June 9. 

The La Salle community is also raising funds through the selling of a special edition green T-shirt with the hashtag #KayaMoYan in front. Donors may contact Camilla Saguin at 0917-5987325 for details. Donations may also be coursed through her mother Mrs. Imelda N. Lariba by making deposits to these savings accounts – BDO 8700007459 and UCPB 104120046272. For proper documentation, donors may email the transaction slips to [email protected].

Lariba caught national coach Noel Gonzales’ eye when she was 10 playing at the Palarong Pambansa in Iloilo. She was often invited to participate in national competitions and Manila summer tournaments during her high school years at Corpus Christi in Cagayan de Oro. Then, La Salle and national coach Lauro Crisostomo took her to La Salle for college. A disciplined athlete, she often practiced from six to eight hours a day, doing drills on the table in the morning then working out in the gym in the afternoon. Sometimes, she added an hour of jogging before the table drills.

Let’s all rally around Lariba in her battle against leukemia.