A breast cancer survivor with a mission

MANILA, Philippines - Linda Panutat thought the reddish lump on her breast was an insect bite. When the “insect bite” remained on her breast after several months, she consulted a surgeon who recommended a biopsy.

“I scheduled my biopsy on a Friday so I could recuperate over the weekend and return to work the following Monday,” Linda recalls.

When the doctor told her she had breast cancer, Linda did not want to believe him. It was June 1997. The then 50-year-old Linda prayed and asked God if this was the end of the line for her.

“I told God that He would have to take care of my two children and that if He had a mission for me, He needs to spell it out or drop it directly on my lap,” she says.

Initially, her family hid under a blanket of denial. Eventually, the grim reality sank in and Linda’s mother cried her heart out. Linda consoled her distraught mother, reassuring her that everything would turn out fine. Linda’s daughter who was in the US at that time flew back to Manila immediately. “Does this mean you are going to die?” her son asked. “I don’t know,” replied Linda.

To abide by her family’s wishes, Linda reluctantly went to Ohio in the US with her daughter to undergo a thorough check-up. What was supposedly a weeklong stay in the US stretched to three months as Linda underwent chemotherapy in Naples, Florida. After her chemotherapy, she was maintained on tamoxifen, which works by blocking the effect of the body’s natural estrogen, a hormone necessary for the growth of certain types of breast cancer. 

God neither spelled out her mission for Linda nor dropped it on her lap. Indeed, He works in mysterious and subtle ways. During one of her morning strolls on a beach in Naples, Linda experienced an epiphany. She saw hundreds of fish leaping out of the water and two dolphins swimming after them. “It dawned on me that if God takes care of these sea creatures, He would definitely take care of me,” she says.

Grateful for the gift of life and the chance God gave her to repent and become closer to Him, Linda realized she had a mission. “I understood then that the tribulations I endured all those years were preparing me to give comfort and encouragement to other women with breast cancer,” she says.

In September 1998, breast surgeon Dr. Diana Cua, the late Marisette Galang-Recto, and Linda founded Bosom Buddies, the country’s first breast cancer support group. True to its name, Bosom Buddies members would meet two Thursdays in a month to support each other, share tips on how to cope with their disease, and also to laugh together.

Today, Bosom Buddies has pioneered in providing a free “Breast Cancer Recovery Kit” for women who have undergone surgery and about to start their chemotherapy. Bosom Buddies has also found ways of assisting survivors to purchase branded anti-breast cancer drugs like tomoxifen, anastrozole and letrozole at significantly discounted rates.

Thirteen years after being diagnosed with breast cancer, Linda has gained the upper hand in her battle against the Big C and continues to help other breast cancer survivors cope with their disease.

“Vigilance is key to early detection,” Linda stresses. She urges women to do monthly breast self-examination and those 40 years and above to see their ob-gyne regularly as well as to have an annual mammogram.

To help prevent cancer, she recommends adopting a healthy lifestyle, exercising regularly, getting seven to eight hours of sleep every night, and eating five to seven servings of fruits and vegetables a day.

“I have never felt more alive, and I intend to live life to the fullest,” says Linda, currently the president of Prime Spots Inc., which is part of the SM Group of Companies.

Linda says being diagnosed with breast cancer isn’t the end of the world. She asks breast cancer survivors who feel they need to talk to someone to get in touch with Bosom Buddies by calling (02) 810-0330 or contact Tess Escueta at (0918) 935-4621.

Linda shares that a particular passage in the Holy Bible, Matthew Chapter 11, Verses 28 to 30, helped and continues to help her fight breast cancer: “Come to me all who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble, and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy and my burden light.”