Veteran actor Bernardo Bernardo, who will celebrate his birthday later this month, took to Facebook to ask for support and prayers as he revealed that he is suffering from a tumor in his pancreas.
“I strongly believe in the power of prayer,” he started.
“Given my history of clinical depression and anxiety attacks coupled with a potentially life-threatening growth in my pancreas, it feels like it’s about time to call for support from FB Prayer Warriors,” he added.
He narrated the story of how he found out about the tumor in his pancreas.
He said: “Last month, after a series of lab tests (including an ultrasound and CT Scan), my medical specialist friends at the UST hospital, a gastroenterologist and an oncologist, shared their findings: (in layman’s terms) my pancreas is swollen because of a tumor, possibly malignant, growing in the head of the pancreas. As it grows it begins to press on the bile duct and the pancreatic duct and with increasing pressure, the ducts eventually get pinched off.”
He also said that he had lost his appetite for food which resulted in alarming weight loss
Bernardo Bernardo will undergo another series of lab tests where diagnosis and treatment can also take place.
“After another series of lab tests, I’m scheduled for an Endoscopic Ultrasound (EUS) that allows for fine-needle aspiration (FNA) biopsy (to determine if the tumor is malignant); and/or ERCP (endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography), where diagnosis and treatment, using stents, can take place during the same procedure,” he explained.
Amid the illness, the actor says he remains strong and hopeful.
“I know that in order to continue to fight this battle — I need Courage. I need Strength. I need Clarity of Mind,” he said.
His friends and colleagues in the film and theater industry, such as Beverly Salviejo, have organized a series of fundraisers to help the actor with his medical expenses.
Bernardo is one of the country’s best film, television, and theater actors with a long list of acting credits to his name. He studied acting in different universities abroad and has also worked as a professor at the University of the Philippines.
