I aM POSSIBLE!

In 2008, I gave myself the best birthday gift from my hard-earned money. I was able to buy

KCAT YARZA DOT COM 

I dunno what title to put, it's just so amazing!

Last Friday, while I was waiting to be prayed over by Fr. Joey Faller after the healing mass, something suddenly pop out of my mind that made me say, “Thank you, thank you so very much, Lord.” I kept on thanking God until it was already my turn & Fr. Joey placed his hand over my head.

3 bad tumors: Please help me shoo them away!

  

MRI scan results are out and it’s 3 pages long! Meningioma. Schwannomas. Lesions. Mass. Soft tissue. Irregular. Abnormal enhancement. Definite progression. Tumors, tumors and more tumors all over my cranial MRI. Aside from the 4cm big bad brain tumor, there are also tumors on my optical wall (on each side) that needs to be treated. That’s 3 bad tumors! Hopefully the other tumors will remain small and behave forever!

It’s Hypofractionated Stereotactic Radiation Therapy (SRT) times two that costs Php 593,450.00  and we need to raise it within this month.

Here’s the copy of the estimated price quotation we got from Medical City (the only hospital in the country that has this kind of treatment) – the red marks are the discount.

Here’s the plan according to Dr. Vega (radiation oncologist):

I'm a bosconian. Proud Bosconian!

Here it is. My speech during last Sunday's DBS Grand Homecoming. My mom read this coz I can write (and I have A LOT to share), but I can't deliver it. But still, I CAN! It's 3-pages long, size 14 Calibri font, narrow margin, single space and it's focused on just one topic. Haha. Ako na ang madaldal! :P

Very short intro

I copied a couple sentences from of my previous articles & writings, should I sue myself of plagiarism? LOL.

Read on.

I am Maria Kathrina Lopez Yarza. I am known as Kcat to everyone, but most of my DBS friends call me Tack. I belong to the pioneer batch, DBS Batch 2000. It is really a great honor to be sharing my story with you, my fellow Past Pupils. Thank you so much for making me a part of this.

Our home is our first venue of learning; the second is our school. After studying nursery school at a learning center near our home, I was ready to study in a bigger school for my preparatory schooling.  My parents learned that there was a newly opened Don Bosco School in Manila for girls, and since my dad and my mom’s brothers were Bosconians, they were eager to enroll me here. I was accepted and I was lucky to become one of the first batch of students in DBS way back in 1989 and proud to be one of the first graduates in year 2000.

In those eleven years, I thought I was only here to study, study, and study. I have learned a lot, but not only lessons from textbooks, but DBS also taught me about life: what life is, how to value life and how to live it well, not by myself, but together with everyone. And all these form a big part of who I am today.

MAY Birthday 2014 on May 17: Birthday Wishlist

It’s already summer time and the month of May is just around the corner! It’s going to be my birthday once again meaning MAY Birthday Project is here!!!

1st MAY Birthday Project in 2007

Since I was a child, I am always excited whenever my birthday’s coming because it means gifts, foods and party with my friends and cousins. Up until now, I still feel the same excitement because my birthday means there’ll be foods, gifts and family and friends to share and bring JOY to those who are in need.

In 2007, while travelling by car with my family, I was thinking aloud, “I want to celebrate my birthday with the kids in the hospital." Ideas kept coming out of my mind, but I told myself, “But we are not rich, how can we fund the event?”

I am rich with blessings though, blessings that I call family and friends, and so I’ve been sharing them with the patients of Philippine General Hospital (PGH) Charity wards.

7 years of gift-giving

Like most people who’s about to celebrate their birthday, I too have a birthday wishlist that I’ve been asking for 8 years now. Please give me a birthday gift from my wishlist and help us in making this year’s gift-giving event as successful as the previous years. Donate. Join. Support.

KCAT CAN: Knocking on the hearts of others

Knocking on hearts of others
By Maria Kathrina Lopez Yarza
April 1, 2013


Back in 2007, while I was browsing through the internet, I found an implant device that could help me hear the world again. I was so excited and sad at the same time because it costs a million pesos. We just couldn’t afford it.

May is Neurofibromatosis Awareness Month

In spite of having NF2 & multiple disabilities, I still CAN do a lot of things..


Neurofibromatosis Philippines on Facebook

13 days to go...

MAY Birthday Project 2012 on Facebook.

Wishlist 2012: MAY Birthday Project on May 12

... In 2007, while travelling by car with my family, I was thinking aloud, “I want to celebrate my birthday with the kids in the hospital." Ideas kept coming out of my mind, but I told myself, “But we are not rich, how can we fund the event?”


Then I came up with a solution, “I will share my blessings, and these blessings are my friends.”


Sharing doesn’t really have price tags and the event does not need to be grand. What matters most is to share our hearts and make those patients happy. I want to make them smile even with the hardships they are in. And so this is the start of MAY Birthday Project! ...
(from my article Blessing shared - 06/06/2011)

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The month of May is fast approaching and it's gonna be my birthday once again! It's not that I am excited to add another number on my age (age are just numbers anyway), but I'm sooooo excited for 

MAY Birthday Project

Annual gift-giving at PGH

Firming the FAITH of the youth - NYD2011 (Nov17)

Last November 17, 2011, I was invited to be one of the Plenary Speakers on National Youth Day at DBTC Festival Site. When I received the email invite last month, my first reaction was "Wow!" It's really an honor. This is one of God's purpose for me and I would LOVE to be His instruments and share the workssssss He has done on me. ♥

"I shared my story not because I wanted popularity but because I wanted to share myself, my ordeals, my struggles, and the very words and principles that I live by that have given me the inner strength to carry on and to live on and still be with my family, loved ones, and friends."

I hope & wish & pray..

After the non-stop surgeries, therapies and medications, my battle with NF2 continues and I won't stop raising money to sustain my medical needs.

This October, I need to have my regular cranial CT scan to monitor my tumors. And also, I'll be having my MRI of the spine to check if there are tumors on my spinal column that's causing my immobility.

Both tests would cost us more or less P35,000. (The MRI of the spine costs P24K). We are not really short of money since I still have my savings, but still we can't let that savings be drained because we'll never know when I'll be needing it. Besides, that is where we get the money for my maintenance medicines like anti-seizure, antibiotic for my eyes, etc.

MAY Birthday Project 2011: SUCCESS!

We made a lot of faces (both patients & their guardians) SMILE once again. Thank you to everyone who supported us! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

(group pic before the gift-giving)

We really scheduled my (very successful) surgery on an earlier date (last April) so that I would have been fuuly-recovered when the month of May comes and we could push through with my annual birthday gift-giving. God is great! Everything went more than what we have planned.

"Natutuwa ako"

"Natutuwa ako!" Those are the words that kept coming out my mouth after I was discharged from the hospital. I AM HAPPY because my surgery was a super mega complete success, I kept noticing a lot of improvements and since my face won't show how happy I am, I kept on blurting out: "Natutuwa ako." and "Ang saya ko." Haha! So get ready, I'll enumerate all those improvements. Ready. Get set. Go. ;P

The day before the big day.. Talitha & I were fooling around

MAY Birthday Project 2011: My Wishlist.

One day, while I was randomly thinking, I had the greatest idea and shared it to my mom: "I want to celebrate my birthday on the hospital." I thought of Philippine General Hospital (PGH) since that's where I often have my hospitalization because it's cheaper and has my lot of good doctors. But I'm still lucky because we are able to afford the pay ward (private rooms) and the best doctors! I feel so blessed and I wanted to share my greatest blessings, not money, definitely not. My greatest blessings are my friends! MAY BIRTHDAY PROJECT was born!

Go! Go lang!

Five years ago, Holy Week 2006, everything about my current condition dawned in my mind. I realized that I am really really sick and I am not able to do what I used to. It's like the word is moving too fast, I wanted it to stop and wait for me. I even had a hard time sleeping. I was having an anxiety attacks.

I'll quote the 'Che Che Lazaro Presents' interview of my mom:

Madge Yarza: "Nung holy week, yung yung nafeel niyang parang ano, she wanted.. Sabi niya, she wanted the world to stop and wait for her.

Surgery (April11): SUCCESS! Thank you.

I'm sorry for the super late post. After finishing my column for April 25 and sending it, my computer malfunctioned. :( Something's wrong withe the videcard or motherboard. I'm currently typing via my ipad coz my pc is in the hospital with Dr.Cris my superhero friendly IT cousin. Haha. Anyway, here the much awaited story of my surgery. Pictures to follow.

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April 9 - Check-in at Philippine General Hospital at around 8 or 9 pm (i think). Check-in, parang magho-hotel lang. Haha. Before heading to PGH, we dropped by St. Jude Parish to light a candle & pray then went to Robinsons Place beside PGH to buy some groceries and eat dinner. Tsk. I forgot to have a haircut. And then we were ay PGH - 5th floor, rm523. The next day was just consecutive number of tests to prepare mo for my surgery. We were told that I'll be needing blood donors to donate 2 bags of blood as a replacement for the blood they borrowed from blood bank that they'll use for my surgery. We posted it on Facebook, and were touched with all the responses, thank you so much!

April 11, 2011 at around 6am, the nurses fetched me in my room with stretcher in tow.

BRB

We are currently preparing for my admission at Philippine General Hospital tonight.. My surgery is on April11, Monday at 7am.. Please pray for me.. And also, we are still accepting shirt orders, you can purchase it when you visit me.. Just contact my mom at 09272459400. Okay?

Visit I AM KCAT page on Facebook for updates c/o my sister, Talitha..

Maglalakwatsa muna ako.. Hahaha ;P

For KCAT (me! me! me!)

God answers

I often talk to God and pretending He is just beside or in font of me. I talk to Him like how I talk to my friends, kwento lang.. When I started my EYE CAN Fund-raising Campaign, I told God: "Lord, pwede pong humingi ng booth para makapag-benta ng items ko for my fund drive?" and He gave me not 1, but 2 answers! Last week, I told him: "Lord, OK sana if I'll be featured on TV again para ma-promote yung fund drive ko, kung ok lang po." and in less than a week, HE ANSWERED: "SURE"

Che Che Lazaro Presents on Abs-Cbn, details soon. :)

P.S.: Last I was thinking (after praying), gusto ko ng Happy Lemon. Kelan kaya kami pupuntang Greenhills, para makabili ako. I wasn't really asking God, but He was listening to my thoughts & answered me again this morning: "On Tuesday." :)

1 Month to go

Target date for my head surgery is April 7, 8 or 9.. But that still depends if we have already raised P400,00 by then. Hopefully. Definitely.

Am I ready? Of course! "Matutulog lang naman ako, pag gising ko, OK na!" ;P Money for surgery nalang. But my mom always tell me that I don't need to worry about the (huge) amount every time I need to undergo medical procedure. Truthfully, we don't have that much money but there is always a way and helping hands along the road. And on the end of the road.. is the Operating Room.. Haha. God will always provide.

Here's a visual explanation of how my head will be opened. Face/Off ;P


I'm asking again: Please support. PLEASE.