Stage 1 cervical cancer, her doctor said, and Nadine Nae Sablan Deleon Guerrero’s world just collapsed.
That announcement had her immediately packing her things to leave for treatment to Honolulu but the cancer cells in her body were also traveling fast, jumping to Stage 2 and heading fast to Stage 3. She had to get chemotherapy and radiation treatment right away.
Leaving behind her three children aged 11, 10 and 6 for the three months she was in Hawaii was another hardship for Deleon Guerrero to endure. Accompanied by her mother Angie, she fought the disease, encouraged by the words her late father Isidro Atalig Sablan to “always remember that mind over matter is what it will take you to beat this disease, and to think positively and reject all negative thoughts, and to find the medicine to help her get well. ”
Deleon Guerrero said the painful chemo and radiation treatments from Monday through Friday were too much for her so she decided to give up, but her mother encouraged her to hold on through those painful three months.
Deleon Guerrero said on Sunday, they would go to Mass before heading to Kapiolani Hospital at 7:30 a.m. for the treatments.
She remembers dropping by the Ala Moana Mall to get her favorite Yummy Yogurt chocolate-flavored ice cream after each treatment. The agonizing three months slowly passed and Deleon Guerrero held on with determination, courage, faith and love.
“By the time I was done, I had beaten the cancer and the doctor told me the results were good,” Deleon Guerrero said.
Life for Deleon Guerrero slowly returned to normal, and her blessing came when she was hired to work at the Transportation Security Administration’s Saipan office.
“By working at the Saipan International Airport, I got the chance to assist cancer patients who had the same cancer as I had, and I always explain to them what to expect and what they can do to beat it,” Deleon Guerrero said.
The feeling she gets when she helps another patient is very satisfying.
“When they look at me, they always said ‘you’re not sick’ and I always reply ‘who said I was?’ ”
Deleon Guerrero said she is always grateful for the support she got from her husband Vicente Masga Deleon Guerrero and family and from her TSA co-workers.
Life has not been a bed of roses following the death of her eldest daughter from a car accident in 2007, and she is still coping with the void her daughter left.
Deleon Guerrero, who shared her story before hundreds of cancer survivors, families and supporters during the 2011 Marianas March Against Cancer at the Hopwood Junior High School track and field on Friday night, encouraged others who are battling with the deadly disease to fight on.
“If I made it through 10 years of being free from cancer, you can do it too. We all can make it for more years to come,” she said.
Deleon Guerrero urged everyone to embrace their loved ones who are fighting cancer and give them all the love and support, and to remember those who have passed on because of cancer.
Deleon Guerrero said 2011 marks the 10th year of her bout with cancer.
“It has not been an easy ride. I had to go through so many obstacles of both the good and bad times but I managed to stay afloat through all the hardships,” she said.
“Don’t shed a tear for me when I am gone. Instead, keep my memories alive by allowing every second, minute and hour that we have together now. This is what matters most,” Deleon Guerrero said.
Cervical cancer is one of the most common diseases among women in the CNMI. Women are urged to get a regular checkup for early detection and prevention.
