Abbygale Arenas de Leon: ‘The joy of finding myself again’
(Continued from last Friday)
Former Binibining Pilipinas titleholder, a sought-after motivational speaker, a cherished wife and mother, Abbygale Arenas de Leon was the poster girl for the woman who had it all.
Under her roof were her “sun, moon and stars,” her children Irijah, 20, and Eli, five; and her “everything,” her husband, ace photographer, the Jun de Leon.
Then one day, out of the blue at the height of the COVID surge in 2020, the De Leon family felt like a careening truck had hit them, and their almost-perfect world almost crashed. Almost.
It all began with a seemingly innocuous “zit” on Abby’s left breast, which turned out to be malignant. She had an aggressive form of breast cancer, and each round of the 18 sessions of chemotherapy she needed had a six-figure price tag attached to it. Jun decided to sell the roof over their heads.
“Then God sent hundreds of angels our way, we didn’t need to sell our condo after all,” says Abby gratefully. She completed the 18 rounds of chemo, a mastectomy and 30 radiation sessions.
“Jun and Ijah took turns in shaving the hair off my head; I saw Jun’s tears but we just laughed through it. He wanted to shave his head to sympathize, but I said no, ‘Kalbo na nga ako tapos ikaw din magpapakalbo’.” (I’m already bald; you don’t have to go bald, too.)
“Jun and Ijah would take turns bringing me to the cancer center. We would plan on what to order and turn it into a picnic,” Abby recalls, finding joy in her family’s togetherness despite the pain.
On the first day of the New Year, fireworks!
“We got the best news from Dr. Diana Cua. She said I was super-responsive to chemo because my tumor and lymph nodes turned out to be negative for cancer. On Jan. 2, 2021, I am cancer-free!”
But her battle wasn’t quite over yet. She had 30 sessions of radiation to conquer.
Just when she was just about to fall apart from her radiation sessions (Abby admitted, she, too, had that blank stare she once saw in other patients), she saw this note pinned on her door: “Three more sessions to go…”
That boosted this battle-weary warrior’s strength and will to fight.
“I started to have my energy back because the last few sessions were not as strong. Thank God for my radiology team. Amazing people.”
After that, she had 10 more chemo sessions, which to her somehow felt just like a “formality.”
“Ten sessions to make (the cancer) not come back, fingers crossed and plenty of prayers,” says Abby.
On April 21, she stopped wearing hair covers and wigs. Life was slowly, but surely, returning back to normal.
On Sept. 6, 2021, Abby proudly “graduated” from all her cancer treatments. The doctors at the NKTI Cancer Center even held a poignant ceremony for her, giving her a certificate that cited her steadfastness throughout her battle. They called her an “exemplar.” It seemed like this former Binibining Pilipinas was getting a new crown and scepter as she stood proudly with her doctors. And though she once lost her hair, her eyebrows, and sometimes her strength, she never lost the will to live. She was still standing; head high, as regal as ever.
Abby was then made to ring a bell to celebrate the moment, and Jun says, “It was the most beautiful sound I have ever heard.”
“My body is never going to be the same, but I can make my body strong again. I’m learning how to handle my energy, and I’ve got my eyebrows and hair back! Nothing is gonna stop me now!” vows Abby.
Abby says she survived cancer because she had her eye fixed unwaveringly on the “prize.”
“I knew from the start that after cancer, we would have better family relationships, tighter friendships, and strengthened faith. I had my eyes on those prizes. But I got so much more,” Abby shares.
Prayer warriors stormed the heavens. Friends started sending her food daily to express their love and care, helping her regain weight. And with their unconditional financial support, they helped her regain her life; her children, a mother; and her husband, a beloved wife.
In her cancer journey, Abby says she discovered “the joy of finding myself again.”
“I learned to be mindful and present in the moment. Before the pandemic, I used to run 20 training sessions per month, that’s usually full days with out-of-town and sometimes back-to-back speaking engagements. I was always on autopilot; I didn’t notice life passing me by. With cancer and the pandemic, I choose the jobs I accept. I’ve learned to pace my energy. I’m enjoying my life at home. I take my time to shower, I watch several TV serials and enjoy them, I sit down and watch the clouds. Now, I don’t miss experiencing life as it happens.
“There are only two ways to identify things we need to have in our lives: essentials and non-essentials. Essentials are the beautiful experiences that are going be in our memory forever; everything else is non-essential. Spending time is an investment that can be deposited in the memory bank. Just in case I don’t get to see my children’s own family, I know that they both know, that dinner is not only for eating but it’s also the perfect time for knock-knock jokes, no matter how corny. They know that we can kiss and hug anytime of the day.”
For both Jun and Abby, her illness was a manifestation that “There is a God.”
“My final learning is that God loves each and every one of us so much and He will provide. I didn’t understand this before because my husband and I are both hardworking. During the time when we couldn’t even do much, He gave us miracles every day.”
(Abby may be reached through her email [email protected])
(You may e-mail me at joanneraeramirez @yahoo.com. Follow me on Instagram @joanneraeramirez.)
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