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How fatherhood changed Paolo Valenciano's life Posted: 25 Mar 2021 11:30 PM PDT LIKE most dads, Paolo Valenciano wants his family to be safe and secure. More than just being known as the first-born son of Mr. Pure Energy, Gary Valenciano, Paolo carved his own path in the live-events industry as an events and concert director. In 2016, Paolo and his wife Sam sweetly welcomed their baby girl, Leia. Now four years old, Leia is a toddler who loves to make her parents smile. "She is such an active character so being her parent is a lot of fun. She never fails to make us laugh," shares Paolo. As a dad, he wants to be a source of security and comfort for Leia. Growing up, he looked up to his dad as a playmate and confidant. He wants to have the same bond and relationship with his daughter which is why despite having a busy schedule, he tries to always spend time with her. "I want her to feel I'm always there for her, a father who is always available; who is always listening. My dad was always a listener, and it made us feel secure and safe knowing we can run to him when we need help. I want to be like that for Leia. I want her to always come to me anytime she needs any kind of help." On future plans and the importance of protection Growing up in a home with a major health concern has really shaped and affected Paolo's view on parenthood. When his own father underwent health issues back when he was a kid, he realized the importance of health and protection. "You're always thinking that a Sunday lunch or dinner could be the last meal together. You look at life from a completely different perspective. It makes you appreciate the details," he shares. Now that he is also a dad, Paolo wants to make sure that his family is secure and protected. Protection for all As a company committed to its mission of racing against risk to protect more Filipinos, AIA Philam Life completed its Protection Trinity of innovative products designed to address the most basic protection needs: life with AIA All-in-One, critical illness with AIA Critical Protect 100, and medical with AIA Med Assist. This year, the Company launched the newest addition to the roster, AIA Health Cover. Launched in 2019, AIA Critical Protect 100 provides comprehensive protection from 100 critical illnesses, from age 0 to 100. Shortly after, AIA All-In-One was introduced which provides protection against the four major risks in life: total and permanent disability, personal accident, critical illness, and death. To help manage the financial burden of Filipinos on hospitalization expenses, the Company developed AIM Med-Assist. To further strengthen its Protection Trinity portfolio, AIA Philam Life recently launched its newest insurance plan, AIA Health Cover. This peso-dominated variable life insurance plan gives all-around health and critical illness protection. It provides you a full range of health benefits and coverage for concerns you may have now or in the future. With the Covid-19 pandemic bringing much uncertainty in the lives of Filipinos, Paolo emphasized the importance of security. "We need to protect our family. These days, I do whatever I can to make sure they have what they need." Click here to know more about AIA Health Cover. For more information about AIA Philam Life's protection products click here or visit their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/AIAPhilamLife/, email philamlife@aia.com or call (02) 8528-2000. (ASP) This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Brain tumor fails to stop doc from passing boards Posted: 25 Mar 2021 04:49 AM PDT FATE sometimes has a way of humoring us, challenging us before letting us experience a certain life victory. Sometimes, it's up to our determination, faith, and resilience to power through these challenges. Before being finally called a registered physician, Dr. Ismael Parcon Jr. of Banga, South Cotabato had to win through difficult life challenges that any other person might have a hard time winning. Despite his father and older siblings being medical doctors, it wasn't his initial plan to be like them. And so, when he finished a semester studying Biology (supposedly his pre-med course) at the Mindanao State University (MSU) Gensan, he decided to take a pause in studying for three years before pursuing Information Technology at the Notre Dame of Marbel University (NDMU). As an IT-graduate, quite unrelated with other pre-med courses, Parcon decided to still pursue medicine study at the Davao Medical School Foundation (DMSF) in Davao City. Despite the fact that medical school was initially his parents' idea and not his, Parcon shared that he eventually learned to love studying medicine. His father is a surgeon in a public hospital and with him, he saw how his father has a kind heart for the poor. "Maski nga duktor si Papa, pobre siya nga duktor kay wala abi na siya gapanukot. Kung tagaan siya sang pasyente less than P500, wala niya na ginabaton kay hambal niya meaning daw sina walang-wala gid ang pasyente," shared Parcon who added it was his parents' love to them that made him decide to pursue medicine. (Even if my father is a doctor, we are not rich. That's because he sometimes doesn't ask for payment from his patients. If they pay him less than P500, he gives it back saying it means that this patient has nothing else) The fifth child out of six children, Parcon said by the time he entered med school, he already had three older siblings who are medical doctors already. He shared how his parents sacrificed and sold some of their farm lots just to get by and send them to medical school. But the plot twist in his life as a medical student came in the first week of June 2020 when he was an intern at the South Cotabato Provincial Hospital. Around this time, he started experiencing twitching on the right side of his body, focal seizure, and tonic clonic or repetitive contractions in his body. This month he was supposed to start review for the national physician board exam. He decided to see a neurologist in General Santos City who requested an MRI. The MRI result showed a 6x3 centimeters brain tumor specifically on his left frontal lobe where the part of the brain responsible for his memory, motor skills, and cognitive functions is located. Parcon said the first time he heard it from his doctor, he was in denial and couldn't immediately absorb his situation but remembered how he was told it was a "very bad tumor". In July 2020, his sister, a medical doctor in Manila, decided to take him in and have his surgery in Quezon City. "By this time, a month after the first symptoms, naga-progress na siya. Gina-time-an ko ang twitching. If before it happens every 30 minutes, eventually naging 15 minutes every day. Walang stimulus that triggers the twitching. Kumbaga intermittent lang siya," said Parcon. Different doctors and specialists worked on his case and finally on October 3, 2020, just a day before his birthday, he was scheduled for an operation. He was inside the operating room for an open-brain surgery for 24 hours. When the tumor was taken out of his brain and tested, the results came a month after with Oligodendroglioma Grade 2 diagnosis. He said Grade 2 was still a good news because more advanced Oligodendroglioma can progress faster and be malignant. By the time he was recovering from surgery, he was experiencing memory loss. He would forget the names of random things around him but would feel like he knows what they're called. He would often say it's already at the tip of his tongue but somehow he wouldn't remember. He would be asked to memorize three simple words and when asked about it, he would forget. By December 2020, Parcon would still need radiotherapy, a procedure that consumes most of his energy. So even if the physician board exam is only four months away, he couldn't find the time and energy to study. "I found myself questioning God. Why did it happen to me? Why me? But I got to know Dr. Leo Trinidad while I was in ICU. He was the one who helped me get to know God more," said Parcon who said that around his recovery stage he would read the Bible more often than his reviewer. He added his mind became more peaceful and had a changed and a deeper relationship with God because of what happened to him. In January 2021, he officially started reviewing with less than two months left before the board exam. By this time, his memory still hasn't fully recovered but he pushed through. Around February 2021, he felt his memory improving although it hasn't entirely returned to its normal state. He took the exam on March 16, 2021, only five months after his open brain surgery, with faith and determination with him. Three days after the exam, the results were released with Parcon's name on the list. He won against the challenge of fate. Congratulations, Dr. Ismael Parcon Jr! This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

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