Joel Castillos Arduous Trek to Regaining Health

Many were shocked to learn that Joel Castillo, a close friend and associate, has been
diagnosed with leukemia, a type of cancer which affects the blood. A resident of Sto.
Tomas, Zambales, he is in need of Ab blood for his coming bone marrow operation.
!a"ing lost his good health for se"eral months now, he remains hopeful and looks
forward to reclaiming his good health by #od$s grace.

The "alue of anything we own or en%oy in life becomes more pronounced not %ust when
we lose it but when we reali&e we can still function without it and ha"e the greater
opportunity to see the loss as a bridge toward a new and more e'citing a"enue we
ha"e ne"er walked before. (lind people are known to compensate their lack of "ision
by their acuity in other senses, such as touch, hearing and smelling. !ence, many of
them learn to become good masseurs, singers and musicians.
)n others, the loss may be temporary as in the case of an athlete who fails so many
times but uses those failures * no , those moments of intense training * to gain greater
self+confidence and the added ability to finally gain the gold medal.
!ealth is one aspect of human life that causes us so much an'iety and concern, in
most cases. ,osing the ability to li"e life to the fullest because of illness can bring many
of us into fits of despair and helplessness * e"en hopelessness, at times. -et, many
ha"e accepted the reality of such moments as gifts for attaining personal growth and
greater commitment to our #i"er of ,ife. !ence, people with "arious physiological
challenges form groups or clubs to raise awareness for their ailments and raise funds
for the care of people with the same conditions.
Today, one of the best spokespersons for .arkinson$s /isease is the !ollywood actor,
Michael J. 0o', himself a "ictim for many years now. Since he ac1uired the illness, he
was ceased making mo"ies and uses much of his time speaking in fa"our of people
who ha"e it and for raising awareness of the needs of such patients. ,ike many who
suffer from physical challenges, Michael waits for the time he can ha"e a second
chance to bring his past 2back to the future3, so to speak.
Second chances are not limited to ha"ing only one single choice but many at times.
4e ha"e had friends who shifted to many courses in college until they finally finished
one e"en after many years. 5r friends who changed %obs until they came upon what
they really lo"ed doing, being an artist, a farmer or a photographer.
0or Joel Castillo, his choice at the moment is simply to go back to doing what he lo"es
doing, which is to be with his family and friends reaching out to the less fortunate in his
community and other neighboring communities in Zambales
6http788isabelitarosueta.org89 6.lease see the "ideo that Joel helped produce for A.5 at
this link. +++ https788www.youtube.com8watch:";Z-S(d&<=g.A9 Joel has Acute Myeloid
,eukemia and is now in the process of undergoing a bone marrow operation.
)n his own words, he e'presses that second chance he would lo"e to ha"e to continue
walking the path of meaningful ser"ice to others together with his lo"ed ones and close
friends7
,ife is so short >ika nga? So ) will take the opportunity to share one of the good
community ser"ices and last few acti"ities ) was able to participate in before ) found out
) had Acute Myeloid ,eukemia. 4e tried so hard to finish the "ideo, and at last here it
is. !opefully in the future, ) will be able to come, see and %oin you (ros and Sis on our
other pro%ects in the 0@T@AB. So please help me... ) might not be able to climb the
hills yet, or walk on couple of ri"ers %ust to get to our destination, for sure ) will be there?
)t runs in my blood, same as yours... May we always be?
5ne can only imagine the pain and an'iety Joel feels going through life at this stage.
(ut he is fully aware of what hope and prayers can do to anyone who has enough faith
to take as much from life as possible and to gi"e back to others as much as possible in
return, no matter what the conditions are. !is many second chances include not merely
continuing the good work he has done for the community but also his #od+gi"en role
as a husband, father and brother to his e'tended family relations. And to be the
generous and ad"enturous friend he is to his fraternity mates at Alpha .hi 5mega. And
add to that still his other prime role as partner+in+business, not only in life, his diligent
and caring wife of many years.
Joel$s "ision of a better life for others remains e"en if his condition is not something
anyone would want to ha"e. !e needs our prayers and our help to reco"er his health
and to take hold of whate"er second chances he can catch in the future. !is wife, his
relati"es and his friends ha"e started a ,eukemia awareness campaign as well as a
fundraising campaign to raise financial assistance
6https788www.facebook.com8pages8A.5+Shirts+for+(ro+Joel+Castillo8CDEDFGHGD=HII<<9
for Joel$s bone marrow8stem cell transplant
6http788en.wikipedia.org8wiki8AcuteJmyeloidJleukemia9 operation. !e also needs Ab
blood for his blood transfusions, not to mention your prayers for his full reco"ery.
We appeal then on behalf of Joel Castillo: Please donate blood. Be a hero and
save a life.
iving so!ething "ould be #our opportunit# to give so!eone that !u"h needed
se"ond "han"e. $t is one "on"rete %a# to let love& faith and hope reign in our
lives.