The sexy comedienne's mother, Amelia Falcon, has been battling cancer since May of last year and recently discovered that the disease has spread to her lungs. With nearly no work coming her way, Francine and her family have decided to sell their house to pay for the treatment her mother desperately needs.
Francine Prieto pleads for more work to help mom with stage 3C cancer
Sunday, February 21, 2010
08:48 PM
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Sexy comedienne Francine Prieto's mom Amelia Falcon has been battling cancer for nearly a year now, starting with ovarian cancer last May. Her condition, however, has taken a turn for the worse, as she and her family learned that the cancer has spread to her lungs.
"Nakita din nila na may dumi din siya sa tiyan at may maliliit pa na dumadami daw sa may diaphragm," Francince told Startalk in a live interview yesterday, February 20.
"Before pa may maliliit na, so sinasabi nga baka hindi na nakukuha sa chemo niya last time. So ngayon, bibigyan siya ng mas matinding chemo. So may apat kaming pagpipilian. Actually, hindi pa namin napag-uusapan kung alin doon ang gusto at alin ang gusto niya sa options."
EXPERIMENTAL. The problem is whether Francine's mom can handle the treatments.
"Iyong tatlo, through IV. Iyon din problema ng Mom kasi patay na mga ugat niya, e. So may option nga na sinasabi na bubutasan ka dito sa... iyong naka-connect sa pinakamalaki nating vein, so doon na itutusok.
"Iyong isa naman, oral. Pero dito sa atin, experimental pa lang kasi. Sa Europe at USA, e okay daw siya for lungs pero dito sa atin, hindi pa sure kung okay siya for the ovary. Sa lungs okay, e, kay mommy po kasi sa lungs at sa ovary rin niya po."
Francine said, "Siyempre, ako, hangga't maaari, e gusto ko dugtungan buhay ng mommy ko, lalo na't nakikita ko na hindi pa siya naggi-give up talaga. Ngayon unting-unti naiisip niya na, 'Ah, may ganun pala ako. Bakit ba naman sa akin pa napunta?' Sabi ko, 'Hindi ko alam, baka may dahilan kung bakit.'
"So ngayon nahirapan siyang tumayo. Iyong isa kong kapatid ko binilhan siya ng oxygen tapos kailangan din niya ng vitamins. Sinasabi ng doctor na magpahinga nga daw ng one week. Kailangan na daw siyang i-chemo."
Francine accompanies her mom every chance she gets.
"Hindi naman puwedeng parang gagawin mong kawawa si Mommy, kasi siyempre lalo siya made-depress. Hangga't maaari ayaw namin mag-isa siya. Ayoko sumuko kasi pag sumuko ako, kawawa... may kapatid pa po ako, e. Ang mangyayari ako ang tatayong nanay at tatay sa mga kapatid ko kasi wala na kaming tatay at kung mawawala pa si Mommy, e huwag naman sana..."
FLUID IN THE LUNGS. Francine said that her mother's cancer is at the Stage 3C level. When asked what that meant, she said, "Actually hindi ko alam, e. Bawat stage may ABC po yata. Hindi ko alam kung hanggang saang letter."
According to Wikipedia, "the stage of a cancer is a descriptor of how much the cancer has spread. The stage often takes into account the size of a tumor, how deeply it has penetrated, whether it has invaded adjacent organs, how many lymph nodes it has metastasized to (if any), and whether it has spread to distant organs."
Mommy Amelia underwent chemo last year and she responded well to all nine cycles. She also had surgery in July 2009 to remove her Fallopian tubes and ovaries. "At marami pang tinanggal," Francine added. "Pero iyon nga, may nakita nang maliliit kaya after noon, nag-chemo siya ulit."
When asked if her mom improved from all these procedures, Francine paused for a while then answered, "Dapat okay na talaga... dapat itong February magpapa-checkup siya at lab test to check kung okay na siya. Tapos last week, biglang nangyari ito. Nag-spread na daw iyong cancer cells sa membrane ng lungs. Ang tawag daw doon ay pleural [cavity], at nagkakaroon ng liquid doon."
The pleural cavity surrounds the lungs and aids in the optimal functioning of the lungs during respiration.
"Ang natanggal nga po sa mommy ko, e more than one liter of fluid sa lungs niya," said Francine.
FAMILY AND CAREER ISSUES. This isn't the only crisis that Francine and her family are facing. Her feud with her sister Sheila adds to the burden.
"Matagal ko na hindi kinakausap iyong sister ko, e," Francine admitted.
When asked if it wouldn't greatly help their mom's health if they reconciled, Francine answered, "Lagi kasi kaming nag-aaway, e. Hindi ko alam, hindi kami magkasundo ng sister ko na iyon, e...
"Lalo rin sumama loob ko sa kanya noong lumayas siya sa bahay last year noong may sakit pa iyong Mommy ko, so lalo pa akong nawalan ng gana sa kapatid ko pa lalo."
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