Miriam College HS
Pink Batch ‘98 – Ria Villena-Osorio, Steph Puno, Kathy Santos-Cruz, Iris Henson-Chan, Giselle Arroyo
”Lift everything up to God. He is in charge.”
We all went to Miriam College High School, and graduated as the Pink Batch of 1998. In 2017, three of us (Giselle, Kathy, and Steph) were diagnosed. Iris followed in 2020, prompting her whole barkada to go for check-ups. Two of us (Ria and Anna Dinglasan, who is based abroad) then found out we had early stage breast cancer – it wouldn’t have been caught so early if not for Iris. We joke that we took our batch color a little too seriously, as we are now “pink sisters” again because of breast cancer. Because we’ve been friends for so long—some of us going all the way back to nursery—and have shared health concerns, we can relate to and support each other in a really special way. We have our own little group chat we named Double Pink, and we meet up whenever we can.
Our Miriam education taught us to be servant leaders, stewards of God’s creation, and witnesses to Christ. When we were students stressing over term papers and intrams, none of us could have imagined that someday cancer would become one of our harshest yet greatest teachers. Though each of our journeys is unique, we have all emerged stronger, with profound life lessons that no textbook could ever teach:
“Cancer tested my body, but God strengthened my spirit. Please get screened— I never thought I would get cancer, but I did.” – Ria
“Lift everything up to God. He is in charge.”- Iris
“I stared fear in the face and came out whole, at peace and most sure of what I truly want out of life.”- Kathy
“More than any time in my life, I came to know the healing power of having a loving support system.” – Giselle
“Cancer taught me to embrace life as a gift and to find God’s presence in every moment.”- Steph
“My healing journey teaches me that strength is drawn from a deep acceptance of love and kindness— from those around us, but especially from the self.” – Anna
When our batch hosted Maryknoll-Miriam Homecoming as silver jubilarians in 2023, we decided to organize an on-campus breast and cervical cancer forum and screening to advocate for early detection. We partnered with ICanServe and the Philippine Cancer Society, and since our batch has a lot of medical doctors and nurses, they volunteered to help with the screenings. Ria shared her testimony as a survivor. Other batchmates pitched in with their valuable skills and resources. For many of the women who attended, it was their first time to get screened, so we were happy to have been able to give back to the community that raised and nurtured us in a meaningful way.
#ICSat25
#SurvivorStories
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- “Lift everything up to God. He is in charge.”
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- From left: Ria Villena-Osorio, Steph Puno, Kathy Santos-Cruz, Iris Henson-Chan, Giselle Arroyo
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- Top (L-R): Steph Puno, Giselle Arroyo Bottom (L-R): Kathy Santos-Cruz, Ria Villena-Osorio, Iris Henson-Chan Miriam College HS Pink Batch ‘98
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- “Lift everything up to God. He is in charge.”
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- At the 2023 on-campus breast and cervical cancer forum organized by the Pink Batch of 1998
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- Learn about breast cancer signs and symptoms: https://www.icanservefoundation.org/about-breast-cancer/
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- Download the breast cancer patient manual: https://www.icanservefoundation.org/patients-manual/
Photos by: Melissa Dela Merced
Stock photos by: Boy Cabrido
Icons of Hope is a social media campaign that features cancer survivors who share their own stories, learnings and the lives they now live. It is part of ICANSERVE Foundation’s 25th anniversary celebration in collaboration with Camera Club of the Philippines. With thanks to Owen Santos and Zonia Bandoy.