Rico Blanco asks for prayers for brother diagnosed with cancer: 'This is our toughest battle'
Singer-songwriter Rico Blanco is asking for prayers for his brother, King, who was recently diagnosed with a type of sinus cancer.
The OPM star took to his social media pages on Thursday, Jan. 23, to open up about the health condition of his younger sibling as he shared photos of them together.
“This beautiful boy you see with me is my younger brother, King. Only a year apart, we did everything together growing up, like bestfriends, or even twins. We shared so many adventures and fought so many battles alongside each other. I love him so very dearly,” he began in his caption.
He went on to share that they learned about King’s cancer diagnosis a few weeks ago.
“The signs all came too rapidly and seemingly out of nowhere, and by the time we got the full diagnosis, we were told he already has an advanced and very aggressive type of squamous cell carcinoma (sinus),” he continued.
According to renowned US-based research institution City of Hope, squamous cell carcinoma may develop in the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses, “where cells are flat and ‘squamous,’ or covered in scales.”
“Invasive squamous cell carcinoma occurs when malignant cells spread more deeply into the tissue,” it added. Symptoms include headache, a persistent lump or sore inside the nose, double vision or vision loss, and frequent or increased amount of nosebleed.
“His treatment started yesterday, and we are praying all our efforts are not too late,” the singer wrote, asking the public to pray for King’s strength and healing.
“Only heaven really knows [what’s] best for my dear brother but we are keeping our hopes up,” he wrote, adding, “I cannot bear to imagine a world without him in it.”
“This is our toughest battle. Please, please help us win,” he concluded.
His followers and fellow celebrities expressed their well wishes for King in the post’s comments section.
“Praying. Stay strong, man!” Paolo Valenciano commented.
“Praying for and with your family,” Iza Calzado wrote.
“Stay strong, kapatid. Ipagdarasal namin si utol mo,” rapper Loonie said.
