Francis M.’s ‘love4lyf’

By Jose Francisco Cruz III, Contributor

11/08/2008

Francis Magalona’s satirical verses sear to the bone. You know when it’s him. You don’t just hear him, you feel the passion blasting from the speakers.

The same passion showed when Francis M. underwent a trial of faith with leukemia, which affects the bone marrow’s blood-producing ability. When some would have already given up, the Master Rapper chose to represent his passion up to the bone despite the disease which requires lifetime transfusion.

When he was diagnosed with cancer, his imagination went wild. He thought that chemotherapy amounted to radiation in a gas chamber. He was afraid at first, but who wouldn’t be? He says that after the chemotherapy, his “joints hurt real bad, and it’s a phantom pain that comes and goes, sometimes it’s in [his] shoulders, ankles, hip joints, pelvic joint, knees.” But as a blue-blooded Filipino, he faced the pain, the instruments piercing his backbone, the drug side effects and series of tests. Oh, and did I mention he had pneumonia on top of these?

Francis M. has successfully hurdled his first chemotherapy session and is back to base, but his battle against leukemia is far from over. He has to maintain his health, prevent cancer cells from spreading, and bulk up for his upcoming chemotherapy session. Recently, platelets were transferred to his system so his blood will maintain the ability to heal his wounds. This would not have been possible if not for the people who flocked to Medical City to donate their blood. Hundreds of willing subjects who heeded their majesty’s call, giving more than their precious blood for the King of Pinoy Rap: their spirit.

Francis M. has the horrifyingly potent chemotherapy drugs cytarabine and idarubycin to keep the rapidly multiplying blood cells in check. These are so strong, they suppress the immune system in their wake. Idarubycin, for instance, can bore a hole through our skin. Aside from the meds, his current diet also plays a vital role, giving him sustenance and even comfort to endure.

Francis M. eats a lot, because the chemotherapy makes him lose his appetite. He needs to be strong too so he eats meat, such as beef, but avoids the fat. He force feeds himself with pasta when weak. He takes Alpha Lipid, Supportan and Xango to boost his immunity. Supportan has fish oil and high calorie intake. He takes a lot of fruits such as mangosteen, oranges, lanzones and pineapple, among others.

Unlike what most would think, Francis M. is able to eat most anything he likes, but now he takes more fish, vegetables, fruits and supplements. He used to hate fish because of the bones, but he has come to love it, saying that he has discovered bottled fish anew. Veggies he ate way back, but now he takes in thrice as much. He takes Dr. Oz’s green juice made up of two green apples, a celery stalk, parsley sprig, spinach, ginger slice, one whole cucumber, a lemon and some lime. Calamansi may be replaced for lime. The juice keeps his blood’s alkaline level up and reduces the acidity. It cleanses his system. He says he “swear[s] by it.” The only food he can take before and immediately after chemotherapy is green and fresh carrot juice. He takes the green juice, the carrot juice and allopurinol daily, which combats the uric acid that is a chemotherapy by-product.

Now he avoids the transfats, an example of which is margarine, that are leading causes of diabetes, cancer and heart ailments. Transfats affect the body’s blood-sugar producing ability, directly related to diabetes and Francis M.’s leukemia. He stated that transfats feed the cancer cells. Vegetable oils such as canola and olive oil are very healthy for the body, and the Magalona family has a lot of these in their storage.

Other foods Francis M. needs to stay away from are artificial foods, sweets and those with too much salt. Sometimes it is hard for him not to indulge, but bit by bit, he is getting there. Everything is not always business as he eats comfort foods such as cake once in a while. He loves wheat bread with peanut butter and jelly. These are very helpful during the first five to seven days after chemotherapy when his taste buds are shot and dead. But he says that his appetite picks up after the treatment.

When asked if he likes hospital food, he said that sometimes he does, but he admits that there are times that it is bland. He prefers food that his sister, Maricar, brings, home-cooked meals such as torta, baked spaghetti, lomi, mami and deboned fish fillet. Pia, his wife, works closely with Maricar. Another sister, Malot, who is in the US, sends him supplements like wheat grass and green barley. Ric Cepeda supplies him with Alpha Lipid, a drink which has growth factors as well.

‘Dabarkads’

Francis M. needs to bulk up, because after every chemotherapy session, he just loses weight and has to gain it all back. As far as moral and financial support, he thanks Eat Bulaga for taking good care of him, with the generosity of T.A.P.E. and Tony Tuviera, Malou Choa-Fagar, Tito, Vic and Joey, Allan K. and the rest of the “EB Dabarkads.”

Francis M. terribly misses the beat and was nostalgic when he recently visited his novelty boutique, the Three Stars and A Sun, as it was very near Broadway Centrum, his home. Last Oct. 25, in Eat Bulaga, his yearning came to an end. “It’s nice to be back home!” escaped Francis M.’s lips each time he had a chance to ad lib during his live “Superproxy” song number with hospital bedfellow Ely Buendia. He was jumping as if it was New Year’s Eve while he sang and rapped. Ely, on the other hand, did a robotic breakdance and rapped alongside Francis as they neared the end of the Eraserheads’ original song.

After the number, Francis proceeded to a pictorial with Maxene Magalona for a cosmetic clinic endorsement. Then he went to the Startalk set for an interview with Joey de Leon. They talked about Francis M.’s requirements for a sterile environment. Francis said he just needed to avoid being engulfed by a large crowd, but he can handle small groups at a time. Even if he talked with a person with colds, it wouldn’t matter, since he has been given clearance by his doctor to go out.

Even the Eat Bulaga staff prepared for Francis’s guest performance by making sure that his dressing room was the farthest one and could not be frequented by visitors. He has won the first round against leukemia, and is almost as healthy as before. His face doesn’t even show any signs of stress. He added that he is able to stay positive and doesn’t look sick because he “take[s] it one day at a time.”

Francis M. has chosen to love his life in spite of his leukemia. So far he has had two chemo sessions, and will do a third treatment, before year’s end. He maintains two blogs (www.happybattle.net and www.magalona.com) and was even able to judge the PCSO National Photo Competition, “Isang Pitik for Charity,” while still in the hospital. Let me leave you with a taste of the man’s poetry in his hit song, “Love4Lyf”:

“That’s why I have a belief that I totally wanna follow./I stand by what I say that today will be yesterday, tomorrow is another day, another way to be a catalyst for change./A long range plan, part of a master plan that is to be attained.”

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