Solemates in the fight against breast cancer
Gold paint traces “cracks” across a navy blue background, while an eruption of beauty in pink flourishes on one side. Inspired by the Japanese practice of kintsugi, wherein broken pieces of objects—often pottery or glass—are joined back together using lacquer mixed with gold, artist-dancer Christina Dy created her masterpiece as a reflection of her own breast cancer journey.
Her art, done on Nike Air Force 1 Triple White sneakers, is one of 25 pairs to be auctioned off at The Pink Room on Sept. 14, following a two-week exhibition on Sept. 1 to Sept. 2 at The Estate Makati Lounge at SMX Aura Hall 3, then Sept. 4 to Sept. 14 at the nearby Brittany Hotel.
“The Pink Room: A Gallery for Good” kicks off the series of activities for ICanServe Foundation Inc.’s 25th anniversary. ICanServe was founded in 1999 by Kara Magsanoc-Alikpala, Crisann Celdran, Becky Fuentes and Bet Lazatin to spread awareness about the fight against breast cancer.
The Pink Room will showcase a total of 27 pairs of stark-white footwear-turned-masterpieces from notable artists including Dy, Gus Albor, Arce, Max Balatbat, Plet Bolipata, Elmer Borlongan, Jinggoy Buensuceso, Carlo Calma, Katrina Cuenca, RM de Leon, Daniel dela Cruz, Monica Delgado, Tracie Anglo Dizon, Emmanuel Garibay, Toym Imao, Jose Santos III, Pam Yan Santos, Gerry Tan, Carlo Tanseco, Vien Valencia, Lydia Velasco, Ronald Ventura, Melissa Yeung Yap, MM Yu and National Artist BenCab.
The other two pairs by Lilianna Manahan and Ciane Xavier will be raffled off to visitors of The Pink Room who will donate to ICanServe, with every P500 donation earning donors a single raffle entry.
Kicks as canvas
By using these sought-after kicks as canvas, the foundation hopes to attract wider attention from not only their usual target audience, but from their families and loved ones as well.
While the message remains the same—spreading breast cancer awareness—it is no longer focused solely on women who by their 40s should have been self-examining for lumps.
“This is our way also of trying to reach a younger audience,” said Celdran. “Everybody plays a role already. Even teenage boys can tell their moms, ‘I learned about this, check yourself.’ Get everybody involved. It’s already a family issue. It’s so pressing that everybody needs to get involved.”
Collectively labeled as Icons of Hope, these painters, sculptors, architects, designers, printmakers and award winners have lent their vision to the cause, reimagining the iconic shoe into one-of-a-kind art pieces.
“It is a powerful symbol of collective action, a vibrant and inspiring testimony to the power of creativity,” Celdran added.
Dy, one of two participating artists who survived breast cancer (the other being Velasco), was able to detect her cancer at Stage 1—thanks to an ICanServe campaign. Her family had no history of breast cancer; she didn’t know anybody who had it; she was healthy; she was pole dancing—heck, she even had abs. She had no reason to suspect that a tumor was already forming inside her body. But seeing that campaign for breast self-examination, and thinking that it wouldn’t hurt to try, ultimately saved her life.
‘Not a death sentence’
While Alikpala shared that her recent training in Baguio was the first time no participant regarded breast cancer as a death sentence, she said ICanServe’s message remains steadfast—even after 25 years. “It’s curable, especially if caught earlier. This is something we have to repeat again and again and again,” said the 27-year cancer survivor, emphasizing that there is still so much to be done.
Locally, breast cancer has surpassed lung disease as the leading cancer regardless of gender. (The 2022 report identifies breast, colorectum, and cervix uteri as the top three leading types of cancer for females, and lung, colorectum, and prostate for males. The top three leading cancers overall are breast, lung, and colorectum.)
The World Health Organization (WHO) has reported cancer incidence to be on a steep rise globally, with cancer deaths disproportionately affecting women at younger ages. In 2022, there were an estimated 7 million maternal orphans due to cancer, with 1 million newly orphaned that year alone.
According to a study published in an oncology journal last year, breast cancer ranked as the third most common cause of cancer-related deaths in the Philippines, with the country demonstrating consistently poor survival outcomes for patients 40 years old or younger.
“This is a stark reminder to diagnose breast cancer early to reduce premature deaths from cancer,” said Alikpala. “Every child deserves to experience a mother’s love. I can’t imagine a world without mothers and female nurturers.”
According to the ICanServe website, while it is still widely unknown how breast cancer develops, there are a number of factors that may increase the risk of its development. These include having had breast cancer incidence among close relatives, early onset menstruation, late menopause, not having borne children before the age of 35 or ever, prolonged use of hormonal replacement therapy or estrogen replacement therapy, alcohol consumption, smoking, being overweight, or even age. While breast cancer mostly affects women, men can also get it (accounting for 1 percent of cases worldwide).
Saving a life
It’s also important to note that breast cancer can still develop even without any of the risk factors, just like with Dy.
“I was super devastated at the time. A lot of my identity was tied to my body as a woman. Then suddenly, I have to take things out?” said the founder of Polecats Manila. “I was depressed for a while, but then I found this concept called kintsugi. In Japan, when pottery breaks, they don’t throw it away. Instead they put it back together using gold to highlight the cracks.”
According to her, just like with kintsugi, good things happened after she felt broken by her cancer. “I did not know it at the time. I was angry and resentful. But then you realize that the world is kind and generous.”
She added, “I realized the value of family. I was such a workaholic. And you kind of forget to slow down and spend time with the things and the people who are important.”
Cases like Dy continues to drive them, Celdran said. “When we’re tired, we remember that it just took that one ad and we literally saved a life.”
“We’re not doctors. But, wow, the privilege to save a life and keep a family whole,” added Alikpala.
“There are things you don’t plan in your life, and this is one of them. This is a whole universe that has, in a way, taken over our lives,” she added, describing how they seem to have become vehicles for helping more people. “That’s a big gift.”
Asked what good thing happened to them after their bout with breast cancer, Celdran replied, “We have each other, for one.”
Alikpala agreed. “We’re the only daughters in our families, now we have thousands of sisters.”
