PUREFOODS  POWER  CAGER  ON  THE  BIG  C:  I  WILL  BEAT  IT!

MANILA, MAY 7, 2008 (STAR) FUNFARE By Ricardo F. Lo - When Rommel Adducul, Purefoods’ center-power forward, was told by his doctor that he had cancer, he tried to keep up a brave front and, being a Born-Again Christian, leave it all up to The Supreme Healer. You know...And He said, “Cast your burden upon me, those who are heavily-laden...”

“I take good care of my health and I thought I would be the last person on earth to get sick,” he told Funfare during a one-on-one.

News about Rommel’s illness came out middle of March at about the same time that former Pres. Cory Aquino was reported to have cancer of the colon.

“During the championship,” he recalled, “I noticed that my lymph nodes were swollen. I thought it was just due to my bad cold.”

His wife, Dr. Joselyn Cobankiat (who’s pure Chinese), prescribed antibiotics for him.

“But after two weeks, the swelling didn’t disappear.”

Rommel suspected that something was terribly wrong with him when he woke up every morning with his nose bleeding and sores developed inside his mouth, with his swollen lymph nodes getting worse.

“My wife started getting worried, so she told me na dapat magpa-biopsy na ako. But first, I had to play in the championship games,” he said, adding, “we lost.” It was James (Yap, his teammate) who first noticed the swelling in Rommel’s neck. “Sabi niya, ‘Ipa-check mo ‘yan’.”

Soon after, Rommel underwent a thorough check-up and his biggest fear was confirmed. Diagnosis: Nasopharyngeal cancer, stage three.

And then, the biggest battle of and for his life began, 10-fold harder than his regular bouts on the hardcourt.

Since a few weeks ago, Rommel has been going through chemotherapy every two weeks, six cycles all in all, which will last until next month; plus 35 sessions of radiation therapy every day, five times a week, until early July. During the last cycle of three sessions, he will have to be confined in the hospital and rest for two weeks.

“It’s pretty hard but...kailangan, eh,” said Rommel, breaking into a faint smile. “After each session, the skin around my neck turns dark gray, parang nasunog. My vocal cords are affected but not my taste buds. And I don’t get dizzy.”

For this interview, Rommel requested for the schedule to be moved from early afternoon to mid-morning because he was coming from a chemo session and it wasn’t good for him to be exposed to the heat.

“I also avoid crowded places. After each chemo session or radiation, I become highly-susceptible to infection.”

Asked if he smokes, Rommel said no.

“I told you I’m a health freak. I practise every day. I dont’t drink. I don’t even have a nightlife.”

He did a research on the Internet and he found out that eating too much salty food could be one of the causes of nasopharyngeal cancer which is, according to Rommel, “common among Asians, especially Chinese.” Rommel was fond of eating tuyo (dried fish).

Instead of feeling depressed, Rommel said he considers his ailment a “blessing” and he refuses to dwell on the dire possibilities. He said his ailment should be an eye-opener for everybody to have a regular check-up — “Even if we think na malakas at malusog tayo.”

In the next breath, Rommel added, ”I will get over this. I know I will. God has given me this for a reason. All I can say is, ‘Thy will be done’.”

Since he was diagnosed, Rommel has lost a few pounds, from 225 to 210 (he’s 6’5" tall).

“The good thing is that, according to my doctor, this form of cancer is curable. Right now, I could feel some improvement. Nawawala na ‘yung mass and it’s a good sign. I asked my doctor if the chemo and the radiation could be stopped but he said they have to be continued until the whole course is completed. I was assured that after the treatment, I will be back to normal.”

In fact, Rommel lives as “normally” as possible. Nothing much has changed.

“I still go to the gym but I avoid strenuous exercises. I do 20 push-ups and after that, medyo pagod na ako.”

But he continues to play, heartened by the positive prognosis and the prayers and words of encouragement from family, friends, teammates and even strangers.

“They offer Masses for me,” he volunteered. “They would tell me, ‘Kayang-kaya mo ‘yan,’ and that gives my morale a big boost. That’s what I keep telling myself also, ‘Kayang-kaya mo ‘to!’ I refuse to give up or to be discouraged. Otherwise, babagsak ako.”

Even in his present condition, Rommel is giving the same moral support to his father who is also suffering from cancer (due to smoking), “But he’s doing fine now.”

Asked if he ever questioned God, Rommel admitted that, for a moment, he did ask, “Why me?”

But after a while, he realized that God wouldn’t give him a burden too heavy for him to carry.

“I will overcome this,” he repeated. “ I will win this battle.”