I was 5-years old when I got my first scar. It’s a 2-inch gash on my right arm caused when I slipped and hit the bumper of a Volkswagen beetle. It got stitch WITHOUT ANESTHESIA, instead my arm was held by three people and the wound closed using an ASTRA THREAD (yes the one you use for sewing clothes). It hurt like FU*K and it was a good thing, I didn’t die of infection.
I still feel a slight twitch and tingle when i think about it, so I could only imagine the pain these people, a group called SCARVIVORS, feel when ever they remember the source of their scars. One is a victim of the Ozone Tragedy, another by bone cancer, or by an accidental burn, different stories of pain, struggle and how they coped up and survive.
Scars may be a reminder of pain and personal tragedy. However, scars are also a sign of healing wounds or in my case a badge of courage of sorts.
Scars mean closure on whatever pain and tragedy has happened, and it is something that can be visually improved as part of the healing process.
Scarvivor, is an advocacy from the country’s leading scar management brand Contractubex® (Extractum Cepae + Heparin + Allantoin), in support of the Burn Centers of the Philippines, and the Philippine Association of Plastic Reconstructive & Aesthetic Surgeons (PAPRAS) mission. As part of the advocacy, Contractubex proudly shares inspirational and life-changing stories from 6 courageous SCARvivors.
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“There were issues with those big scars, particularly after my first modified radical mastectomy when I was just 28.
Then, I realized It’s about getting well. What you went through. And getting over that,” says Nikoy de Guzman, who has undergone a double mastectomy.
Sherilyn Bruan“Hindi ka lang scarred physically. Pati yung self-esteem mo natamaan. Nung time na yun, I didn’t want people looking at my scars. Ngayon, I know there’s more about me than my scars,” shares Sherilyn Bruan, a survivor of the Ozone Disco fire.
Giboy Billena“My scars are very big and my left leg was deformed. It was a very difficult experience, but with the help of many loving people especially my Mom and Dad, I am now on my road to complete recovery,” says Giboy Billena, a 13-year-old bone cancer survivor.
Rubylyn Cua Rodel“Dahil sa scars, dati binubully ako. Sinusulatan yung libro ko ng sunog. Ganun. Pero hindi ko hinayaang masira ang buhay ko,” says Rubylyn Cua Rodel, who got burned in an accident.
Dwight Bayona“My experience has been a painful struggle. But I didn’t let it hinder me from doing the things I wanted to do. I want others to know that you can be so much more than your scars. Just trust yourself and your will to fight,” shares Dwight Bayona, a racer who lost his leg in an accident.
Richard Tagapan“Ang mahalaga, muli akong makabalik sa aking tungkulin. Dala ng paninilbihan ang sugat na ito, nagbibigay sa akin ng lakas ng loob,” according to Richard Tagapan, a PNP SAF Officer injured in the line of duty.
The Scarvivors event press launch on August 27, 2015, 10 am at Amici Restaurant, features talks from Dr Jose Joven Cruz, President of PAPRAS; Dr.Dorothy Dy Ching Bing, Burn Rehabilitation Consultant on burn centers in the Philippines; and Nikoy De Guzman, one of the SCARvivors, for the closing remarks.
The SCARvivor exhibit at Exhibit Space 3, UGF Building A, SM Megamall runs from August 27, 2015 to September 2, 2015.
We encourage you to be part of the advocacy by visiting the exhibit and extending your support to other SCARvivors out there.
You can also support the SCARvivor advocacy by purchasing Contractubex®. For every Contractubex® purchased, patients from selected burn centers will be given their own SCARvivor Kit. This is in line with the commitment of Contractubex® to helping patients manage scars, so that someday, being SCARvivors themselves, only their stories of hope and courage remain.
