Doc Willie Ong diagnosed with rare sarcoma cancer

'Worst pain of my life"

Ong described feeling something strange in his body. In April 2023, he felt fatigued and had difficulty breathing and swallowing while on medical missions. However, he discounted these symptoms as a normal part of aging.

"Pero napansin ko noong April 2023, medyo hirap na ako mag-medical mission. Kapag mainit, hindi ko na kaya. Ayoko na kapag mainit. Parang may hingal, pagod, at [sa] paglunok ko parang ayaw na o hirap na," he expressed. "In-expect, ano lang ito aging."

In October of the same year, he began feeling back pain that spread to the top part of his spine. Because of this, he had difficulty sleeping flat on his back.

"Matagal na akong may backpain. Matagal na masakit ang likod ko. Pero this time, biglang may masakit a bandang taas," he said while pointing put his T10 spine.

He added, "Hindi ako makahiga sa gabi. Kapag hihiga ako sa gabi, sasakit ang parteng iyon. Noong October 2023, kapag flinat mo ako, sasakit siya for 1-2 hours, parang nag-spasm siya. Pero kapag tinulugan mo, okay lang."

His back discomfort worsened in August, and his stomach got bigger.

"So sumakit to bigla, sobra-sobrang sakit, worst pain of my life. 10 out of 10. Iiyak ka. Buong gabi walang tulog. Para siyang may kutsilyo na may sumasaksak sa likod mo."

The diagnosis

On Aug. 20, Ong was admitted to the hospital. During that time, doctors found out what he called the "enemy."

"Noong una wala pa itong pangalan. Bale yung bukol na ito malaking malaki raw, isa sa pinakamalaking buko na nakita nila," the YouTuber said. 

"Nagtatago siya sa gitna ng harap ng gulugod, nakadikit sa puso. Kumaki nang lumako hanggang 16 cm, hindi mo makakapa sa likod, hindi mo siya makakapa sa harap" he said.

Ong continued: "So nung lumaki ito, inipit nito ag esophagus, hindi na ako makalunok. Inipit nito ang artery, hirap na ako huminga. Inipit nito ang Inferior Vena Cana, magang maga na ang paa ko. Yung mga dugo ko sa paa, hindi na umaakyat sa puso."

Hence, according to him, his blood flows at the Azygos Vein, which "carries blood from [the] wall of upper abdomen and upper lower back, back to the heart."

On Aug. 25, he arrived at an unnamed hospital abroad. There, it was discovered that he has sarcoma.

As per John Hopkins Medicine, sarcoma is a type of cancer "that can occur in various locations in your body." It is the "general term for a broad group of cancers that begin in the bones and in the soft (also called connective) tissues (soft tissue sarcoma)."

In the case of Ong, his sarcoma is "very rare, aggressive and very big" that almost tightens his liver, inferior vena cava, and heart.

"Sabi ng doctor ko itong sarcoma ay mahirap na kalaban. Isa sa pinakamhirap na cancer na kulang ang research, kulang ang bagong gamot, medyo miracle daw at dapat laban ko raw ang cancer," he underscored, adding that his doctor is also even surprised with the kind of the sarcoma cancer.

'Mabuhay o hindi mabuhay okay na sa'kin'

Ong got real about his condition, thinking that stress was one of the factors that triggered his condition. 

"'Saan ko nakuha ito?' I think stress. Kaya kayo huwag kayong magbabasa ng comments sa Facebook. Naa-stress ako sa mga comments. Na-stress ako sa mga bashers. Na-stress ako kasi hindi tunay lahat ng sinasabi, dahil sobra ko kayong mahal, sobra kong mahal ang Pilipino. Sobrang mahal ko mga mahihirap tapos sasabhin nila na ginagamit ko lang," he said.

Nonetheless, he is keeping a positive outlook in life as he believes God still has a purpose for him.

Ong has more than 9.7 million and 17 million subscribers on YouTube and Facebook, respectively. He is known for sharing health and wellness tips.

He ran for vice president in the 2022 Philippine presidential election as the running mate of former Manila Mayor Isko Moreno.