Bobby’s story

Bobby Roces wrote a complete account of his son’s adventure with malignant cancer. Here are the highlights of his story:

"In the early part of this year, Iñigo was incessantly coughing. The cough became chronic Iñigo would come home on weekends, from U.P. Los Baños, coughing, feverish, and with a touch of bronchitis. I dismissed it. I said a few perfunctory prayers, and asked God to give me a sign. When the sign came, I was not quite prepared for the enormity of the problem.

"In mid-July Iñigo came home, coughing and feverish. Worse, he coughed up blood! He underwent a series of tests. The results were grim. The doctors discovered a tumor in the main trunk of his bronchial rube. While they had yet to determine whether it was benign or malignant, it posed a lethal threat to my son. The tumor could grow to block his air passages, and my son would die of asphyxiation. Or coughing could cause the tumor to hemorrhage, and my son would drown in his own blood. If either of these things happened, it would be sudden death!

"My reaction was controlled panic. I went into a phone calling frenzy, for prayers to help my son. I called my close friends. I called the priests I knew, most of them Jesuits. But it was late at night, and most of them I got an answering machine. Then, as I lay in bed, a thought came to me. So sudden, and with so much impact, that I sat bolt upright in bed.

"I felt that God was saying: ‘Talk to Me!’ . . . . I am the one who makes decisions! . . . . So, talk to Me!’ . . . . I whispered: ‘Lord, I am afraid. My son is in trouble, and I do not know what to do. Please, help me!’ . . . . Then a deep sense of peace came over me. I fell into a dreamless sleep . . . . I woke the following morning, totally refreshed. The wonderful thing about subjecting yourself to the will of God is that – once God takes over – everything falls into place. Then, I seems, everyone does the right thing!

"The doctor who examined Iñigo, and who performed the bronchoscopy, told my wife: ‘When the tip of the fiber optic probe touched the tumor, it started to bleed. I retracted the probe. Something made me stop from proceeding further. I felt that it was dangerous to continue. In spite of my training and experience in this field, I felt that my skills were inadequate. I suggest that you go to the United States, and have someone there take care of Iñigo.’

"Iñigo and his mother got their visas within a week, with no problem. Iñigo’s grand uncle gifted them with round trip airline tickets to the United States.

"On July 31, the feast of Saint Ignatius Loyola, I prayed to him. I told him that my son – whom I had named in his honor – had a severe problem. I asked him to please intercede for my son.

"During the sixteen hour flight from Manila to Los Angeles, one of Iñigo’s lungs collapsed. The surgeon who was to remove the tumor was Doctor McPherson, one of the best thoracic surgeons in America. But the asking price of Cedar-Sinai Hospital, for the whole procedure, was 300,000 dollars! We were stunned! We had no idea where to get that kind of money. We stormed heaven with prayers.

"Cedar-Sinai Hospital suggested that we make inquiries with other medical facilities. Their rates might be lower. Doctor McPherson agreed to perform the operation in any hospital of our choice. More prayers. One of the uncles of Iñigo is married to a nurse at the Sentinella Medical Center. She was entitled to a 70 percent discount. Sentinella’s total charges came to 62,000 dollars — the bulk of which were surgeons’ fees. We were ecstatic! The price was high, but manageable, 62,000 dollars is a far cry from $300,000! Iñigo’s operation was set for September 5, 2002.

"I prayed the Rosary. I asked Mother Mary to ask her Son to take care of my son.

"When September 5 came, the money had not yet been raised. The operation was postponed. More prayers. Then Iñigo’s uncle took him and his Mom to the Mission of San Juan de Capistrano. They saw small secluded chapel, and went there to pray. The chapel was dedicated to Saint Peregrine, who is the patron saint of cancer patients. At that time, no one knew that Iñigo’s tumor was cancerous. After the prayers, Iñigo’s mom got him a Saint Peregrine medal.

"Within the week, Doctor McPherson told them that the tests had shown that the tumor was a rare case. He wanted to publish the results of the operation. In exchange, this world famous doctor and his top notch team of twelve were going to operate on my son for free! The only cost would be the hospital charges 25,000 dollars. Iñigo’s grand uncle sent the whole amount to the States within 24 hours. The operation was scheduled for September 26.

"The hospital reminded the family that Iñigo would need four units of blood for the operation. All of Iñigo’s uncles and aunts offered to donate blood, but Sentinella rejected all of them. The Health Department of the United States bans all potential donors who have been to the Philippines in the past year. The fear is based on possible contact with mosquitoes that were carriers of malaria and dengue fever. The next day three complete strangers, all policemen who had heard of the difficulty, donated three units of blood for Iñigo. Later in the day, two nurses – also complete strangers – donated blood. We now had more blood than we needed for the operation.

"The operation was superb! No complications. A biopsy revealed that the tumor were a carcinogen – malignant cancer. But the cancer had not spread to Iñigo’s lymphatic system. His collapsed lungs was re-inflated. Within 48 hours he was on his feet. The possibility of a recurrence is only two percent. Doctor McPherson commended the decision taken by Iñigo’s doctor in Manila. He said it was the decision of mature and experienced specialist.

"I am writing this to share with you my experience of the power of prayer, and the benevolent, compassionate hand of God. We stormed heaven. God heard . . . God listened . . . . And God answered."