Happy Halloween, everyone! Trick-or-treaters, are your Halloween costumes ready? Well, have fun but be safe out there when you go house to house with your parents or guardians.
Yes, it's Halloween again! That means front porches or yards and houses are decorated with seasonal flags, carved pumpkins and jack-o-lanterns or improvised Halloween decorations. It also means children have already selected or are ready with their Halloween attire.
I imagine there will be kids in their Power Ranger, Batman, Spiderman, Wonder Woman, witch, police, firefighter or princess attire. Some will be dressed up in just casual costumes with their plastic or canvas bags on hand, hopeful for assortment of candies. Likewise, there will be those older kids dressed up as ugly, scary beasts, vampire-like creature or witches.
Kids will be going door-to-door in the neighborhood, escorted or accompanied by their parents or guardians, greeting the homeowners with a shout of "Trick or treat!" while the latter have prepared some goodies to give away.
Halloween tradition came to North America from Ireland more than a century ago. Today, it has become a business industry from Hollywood to the isle of the nearest discount and grocery chain stores, malls and even eateries.
Kids of all ages, even the young teens and adults, still get a kick out of the cheap thrill of a good ghost story, strange tales in plays, or spooky movie, which abound this time of year. This is just an indication that fear is a part of life.
In the predominantly Catholic Philippines, where I was born, Filipinos didn't have this Halloween back then. But with the proliferation of social media and Western culture influence, they now celebrate it on the last day of October, with children, like in the U.S. and elsewhere, dressed in different Halloween costumes. and rooming around the malls for candies, goodies and sweets.
On the other hand, townsfolk go to public cemeteries and clean gravesites the last week of October. En masse, they prepare the cemeteries to be visited once again. Gravesites or tombs are freshly-painted to honor their beloved dead.
Filipinos, and Catholics around the world, pay homage to their beloved departed on Nov. 1, All Saints' Day (which is a Holy Day of Obligation), and Nov. 2, All Souls' Day (The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed). In addition to remembering their deceased loved ones, they also honor the Catholic Church's saints. They believe these saints inspire and guide them in their daily lives. When they pray or attend Mass in church, they ask for their intercession so their prayers become meaningful, and they hope their prayers and hopeful wishes will be granted.
In the Philippines, people go to cemeteries late afternoon or early evening, Nov.1 and Nov. 2, and light candles at the tombs, offering flowers or wreathes, and prayers. In other parts of the country, townsfolk have this tradition of offering food to and for their dead.
In cemeteries, Mass for the dead is also said and celebrated by a town priest or pastor, who then blesses and sprinkles holy water on the gravesites.
People publicly display their reverence to their dead who, having been a part of their families, deserve to be remembered and respected.
Public and private schools and colleges are closed on Nov. 1 and 2. College students, studying in big cities like Manila or Baguio City, go to their home provinces to pay respects to their dead. These two-day events can serve as a great opportunity for townsfolk to see or mingle with friends and family members who may have been away from their community for a while.
To all Catholics, Happy All Saints'/Souls' Day! And to all the kids in all of us, have a fun but safe Halloween!
-Chris A. Quilpa, a retired U.S. Navy veteran, lives in Suffolk. Email him at chris.a.quilpa@gmail.com.
*Appeared in the Opinion page of the award-winning Suffolk News-Herald, Sunday, October 28, 2018. For more information, visit www.suffolknewsherald.org.
Sunday, October 28, 2018
Saturday, October 6, 2018
Mama Zeny and Breast Cancer Awareness Month*
Besides orange for pumpkins, what other color symbol is prevalent during the month of October? The pink ribbon.
This piece is dedicated to all men and women who lost their lives because of breast cancer. It is especially dedicated in honor of the memory of my mother-n-law, Mama Zeny, a pharmacist-instructor turned community leader-vice mayor, who succumbed to breast cancer almost three decades ago in the Philippines.
Having been a member of a medically-oriented Filipino-Chinese family (her two brothers, Uncle Oscar and Uncle Constancio were both doctors of medicine in the United States), Mama Zeny married my late father-in-law, Gody, a retired family physician, who took care of her during and after her treatment.
Mama Zeny did have a mastectomy and chemotherapy afterwards, but the cancer had metastasized.
Had she lived through the years, Mama Zeny would have witnessed how her two grandchildren, Andrew and Christine, have grown to become independent, young adults who are doing well in their respective professions (an IT instructor and stage actor, and a school counselor, respectively), making a difference in others' lives. She would have been so happy and proud to have witnessed the wedding of my daughter, her granddaughter, Christine, and my son-in-law, Robbie, who is an IT network coordinator/administrator. She would have been enjoying her golden years in active retirement, traveling back and forth from the Philippines to the United States, specifically Virginia.
But breast cancer cut short her earthly, professional and productive life. She was 58. (I pray, "may the soul of our faithful departed, Mama Zeny, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.)
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, an annual international health campaign, founded in 1985, by various breast cancer charities, to increase awareness of the disease and to raise funds for research and education into its cause, prevention, diagnosis, treatment and cure.
This observance highlights the importance of early detection (the key to cancer survival), prevention and protection from breast cancer and other related abnormalities. It also offers information and support to those affected by breast cancer.
According to the American Cancer Society, breast cancer is still the second-leading cause of cancer death in women, second only to lung cancer.
The society estimates there are more than 31 million people in the United States with a history of breast cancer. This includes women still being treated and those who have completed treatment.
With increased awareness, education and research, as well as early detection through screening and improved treatment, a woman's risk of dying of breast cancer dropped 39 percent between the late 1980s and 2015, translating into more than 300,000 breast cancer deaths avoided during that time.
Limited but accumulating research indicates several factors increase the risk of breast cancer in women: alcohol consumption, obesity and smoking.
Alcohol consumption increases the risk of breast cancer in women by about 7 to 10 percent for each one drink by of alcohol consumed per day on average. Women who have two to three alcoholic drinks per day have a 20 percent higher risk of breast cancer compared to non-drinkers.
Obesity increases the risk of post-menopausal breast cancer, with 1.5 times higher in overweight women and about 2 times higher in obese women than in lean women. Smoking may slightly increase breast cancer risk, particularly long-term, heavy smoking and among women who start smoking before the first pregnancy.
Meanwhile, there's a growing evidence suggesting that women who exercise regularly have a 10 to 25 percent lower risk of breast cancer compared to women who are inactive, with stronger evidence for post-menopausal women.
The American Cancer Society has set guidelines for early breast cancer detection. Women ages 40 to 44 should have the choice to start annual ages 45 to 54 should get mammograms every east cancer screening or baseline mammograms. Women 55 and older should switch to mammograms every two years, or can continue yearly screening, per their doctor's recommendation.
Women at high risk should have a regular mammography, as per their doctor's advice or recommendation.Women in their 20s and 30s should have clinical breast exam every three years and every year for women 40 years old and over. For women starting in their 20s, a monthly breast self-exam is an option. Women should know how their breasts normally feel and should report promptly to their doctor or health care provider any unusual breast pain or significant change in appearance, size and color.
One of the best tools to detect breast cancer or abnormality is the routine mammography. If you haven't had one, visit your doctor and request or obtain referral to have a mammogram.
For more information about National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, visit: www.nationalbreast cancer.org.
-Chris A. Quilpa, a retired U.S. Navy veteran, lives in Suffolk. Email him at chris.a.quilpa@gmail.com.
*Appeared in the Opinion page of the award-winning Suffolk News-Herald, Sunday, October 7, 2018. For more information, visit www.suffolknewsherald.org.
This piece is dedicated to all men and women who lost their lives because of breast cancer. It is especially dedicated in honor of the memory of my mother-n-law, Mama Zeny, a pharmacist-instructor turned community leader-vice mayor, who succumbed to breast cancer almost three decades ago in the Philippines.
Having been a member of a medically-oriented Filipino-Chinese family (her two brothers, Uncle Oscar and Uncle Constancio were both doctors of medicine in the United States), Mama Zeny married my late father-in-law, Gody, a retired family physician, who took care of her during and after her treatment.
Mama Zeny did have a mastectomy and chemotherapy afterwards, but the cancer had metastasized.
Had she lived through the years, Mama Zeny would have witnessed how her two grandchildren, Andrew and Christine, have grown to become independent, young adults who are doing well in their respective professions (an IT instructor and stage actor, and a school counselor, respectively), making a difference in others' lives. She would have been so happy and proud to have witnessed the wedding of my daughter, her granddaughter, Christine, and my son-in-law, Robbie, who is an IT network coordinator/administrator. She would have been enjoying her golden years in active retirement, traveling back and forth from the Philippines to the United States, specifically Virginia.
But breast cancer cut short her earthly, professional and productive life. She was 58. (I pray, "may the soul of our faithful departed, Mama Zeny, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.)
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, an annual international health campaign, founded in 1985, by various breast cancer charities, to increase awareness of the disease and to raise funds for research and education into its cause, prevention, diagnosis, treatment and cure.
This observance highlights the importance of early detection (the key to cancer survival), prevention and protection from breast cancer and other related abnormalities. It also offers information and support to those affected by breast cancer.
According to the American Cancer Society, breast cancer is still the second-leading cause of cancer death in women, second only to lung cancer.
The society estimates there are more than 31 million people in the United States with a history of breast cancer. This includes women still being treated and those who have completed treatment.
With increased awareness, education and research, as well as early detection through screening and improved treatment, a woman's risk of dying of breast cancer dropped 39 percent between the late 1980s and 2015, translating into more than 300,000 breast cancer deaths avoided during that time.
Limited but accumulating research indicates several factors increase the risk of breast cancer in women: alcohol consumption, obesity and smoking.
Alcohol consumption increases the risk of breast cancer in women by about 7 to 10 percent for each one drink by of alcohol consumed per day on average. Women who have two to three alcoholic drinks per day have a 20 percent higher risk of breast cancer compared to non-drinkers.
Obesity increases the risk of post-menopausal breast cancer, with 1.5 times higher in overweight women and about 2 times higher in obese women than in lean women. Smoking may slightly increase breast cancer risk, particularly long-term, heavy smoking and among women who start smoking before the first pregnancy.
Meanwhile, there's a growing evidence suggesting that women who exercise regularly have a 10 to 25 percent lower risk of breast cancer compared to women who are inactive, with stronger evidence for post-menopausal women.
The American Cancer Society has set guidelines for early breast cancer detection. Women ages 40 to 44 should have the choice to start annual ages 45 to 54 should get mammograms every east cancer screening or baseline mammograms. Women 55 and older should switch to mammograms every two years, or can continue yearly screening, per their doctor's recommendation.
Women at high risk should have a regular mammography, as per their doctor's advice or recommendation.Women in their 20s and 30s should have clinical breast exam every three years and every year for women 40 years old and over. For women starting in their 20s, a monthly breast self-exam is an option. Women should know how their breasts normally feel and should report promptly to their doctor or health care provider any unusual breast pain or significant change in appearance, size and color.
One of the best tools to detect breast cancer or abnormality is the routine mammography. If you haven't had one, visit your doctor and request or obtain referral to have a mammogram.
For more information about National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, visit: www.nationalbreast cancer.org.
-Chris A. Quilpa, a retired U.S. Navy veteran, lives in Suffolk. Email him at chris.a.quilpa@gmail.com.
*Appeared in the Opinion page of the award-winning Suffolk News-Herald, Sunday, October 7, 2018. For more information, visit www.suffolknewsherald.org.
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