When Merci Tobias was diagnosed with thyroid cancer in 2024, she worried about what would happen to her students while she underwent surgery. The diagnosis came as a shock, and her first question was one many might ask in her place: ‘Bakit ako?’
For 11 years, Tobias had stood in front of a classroom as a public school teacher, finding fulfillment in nurturing young lives and giving back to her community.
But after already undergoing surgery for a lump in her left breast, she was now facing thyroid cancer, a diagnosis that threatened to take her away from the classroom she had dedicated herself to and the students who reminded her why teaching had always felt like her calling.
Her first thoughts, though, were not only about her own health. She immediately worried about her students and what would happen to them if she had to undergo surgery and miss classes. There was also a possibility that undergoing an operation would affect her voice, a vital instrument that she relied on every day as a teacher.
The diagnosis also changed her everyday life. She found herself tiring more easily and becoming short of breath, making it unbearable to speak for long periods. For someone whose work depends on being present and communicating with students, the physical effects were difficult to ignore.
Tobias chose not to share the bad news to her students, not wanting them to worry. But she leaned on the people closest to her: her family, who gave the encouragement she needed to face this hurdle, and her co-teachers, who covered her classes whenever doctor appointments and required lab tests pulled her away.
Their support helped her appreciate that she was not alone in this battle.
Preparing for the unexpected
Tobias’ experience also altered the way she viewed her own health and future. “Dati, okay lang na magpuyat. Minsan, hindi ka nakakakain dahil sa trabaho,” she says. “Pero nung nangyari ‘to, nag-change lahat. So sabi ko sa sarili ko hindi pwedeng ganito, hindi pwedeng pababayaan ko ‘to dahil affected ang mga students ko, hindi lang ako.’
She also thought about what would happen to her aging parents if she weren’t there and made her realize the importance of being protected, especially since serious illnesses often come unannounced.
‘So, dapat ngayon pa lang, prepared na tayo para sa future natin,’ she says. ‘Usually, common na nasa isip natin na, ‘hindi, bata pa ako. Hindi ako magkakasakit.’ Eh, ito nga oh. Ako nga tinamaan ng sakit. So, kung hindi pala ako naging prepared, nung una, paano ako? Paano yung family ko?’
For women like Tobias, thyroid health is particularly important. The Department of Health reported in 2020 that thyroid cancer incidence was three times higher among females than males. For her who has already faced thyroid cancer, staying on top of her health is especially important. Emerging studies suggest that recurrence may be more common among Filipino patients.
Fortunately, Tobias had already taken steps toward that protection.
She was introduced to AXA and medical insurance by Dr. Eric Gamilla, head of one of the top AXA branches in South Luzon, a physician, and her brother’s medical school classmate. He explained simply that insurance exists to protect what matters.