Am I going to die?

"It’s so hard, because I can feel the medicine in my body. And when I see my hair falling out, it’s depressing. I ask myself, am I going to die?"

This was the painful statement of Jon Jon Tabique, point guard of the University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons. He had a budding basketball career, helping the state university rebuild into a contender in the UAAP. Then, in October of last year, Tabique was shocked to find out he had lymphoma.

Cancer.

The third biopsy revealed that the 5-7 spitfire had cancer of the lymphatic system, the body’s filter. He had inherited the infected genes from his parents. The cancer spread through his chest and his neck. He needed chemotherapy, or he would die. Adding to the stress was the fact that both Tabique’s parents have been working in the United States, and it was only he and his sister and a handful of uncles who took the brunt of the news.

"I couldn’t talk for about three hours," Tabique confessed. "Why would I get something like this? I play basketball, I’m very energetic. Now, I feel so weak because of the chemotherapy. I can’t play. And it’s had a very big impact on my family. My Dad had to come home even though he wasn’t allowed. I don’t even want to talk to my Mom, because we just end up crying."

Tabique, a contemporary of Ateneo de Manila’s LA Tenorio at San Beda high school, became a clarion for his friends, who started visiting him at home weekly. He had already spent over P 250,000 for his preliminary medication. Former coach Ato Badolato organized the first fund-raiser with PBA teams. Two weeks ago, Jon Jon’s teammates played against the SMC All-Stars in a fund-raiser to help ease the prohibitive cost of his medication. Former UP Maroons Benjie Paras and Ronnie Magsanoc made it a point to be there, and shared their strength.

"About a month ago, I started making plans," UP head coach Lito Vergara admitted. "I wanted us to play against former UP players, and so on. Then I thought of coach Eric (Altamirano, SMC All-Stars project director and a former UP Maroon). He told me that the game would push through. That was part of our help for Jon Tabique. He’s still part of our family, part of the team."

"As team captain, I really want to help our teammate Jon Jon," veteran guard Toti Almeda said. "We just want to dedicate all our games to him. It’s just like basketball. Never give up. Keep fighting."

"It feels good to be able to help a teammate," forward Nestor David said. "It feels good to be able to do that. Many people are here to fight for you."

"It gave me a light feeling," guard Marvin Cruz said. "He’s also a friend outside the team. And I know I was able to help, because it wasn’t easy to sell the tickets. We’re here for you. While there’s life, there’s hope."

"Why me? Maybe God is sending me a message. Maybe there are things that I’ve done that I shouldn’t have. God is seeing how far my faith in him will go," Tabique told The STAR. "There are many things I still want to do. I want to go back to basketball. I was starting to receive all the blessings. I’m a member of the UP varsity. But I didn’t have time for mass, for God. God is telling me that he’s still there for me."

"I told him to keep on fighting," Vergara continued. "Ever since high school, he’s been known as a fighter. Keep on fighting. He even asked me when he could come back to practice. I laughed and told him to get better."

Tabique promised to rejoin the Maroons soon. Though he’s lost weight and lost all his hair, he still has an easy-going disposition, and it helps a lot, since he’s in the fight of his life.

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Coach Norman Black and former national coaches like Francis Rodriguez and retired PBA superstars like Samboy Lim will conduct this year’s Burlington Basketball Skills Camp starting on April 12 at the Metro Gym along Pioneer in Mandaluyong. Enrollment is on a first-come, first-served basis. Aside from shooting, dribbling, ball-handling, rebounding and passing, camp director Black will also introduce plyometrics to help the participants jump higher and move better.

Registration fee is P 4,000. For inquiries, call TEAM at 894-3576 or 894-3014.