Last March 14, Albien Emmanuel Gacias became one of the 1,209 who succeeded in becoming licensed physicians. But Gacias story is one so riveting that he easily stands out among the crowd of new doctors; just ten years ago, he himself was a patient battling cancer.
Sharing his inspiring story on Facebook, Gacias said he started dreaming to be a doctor in 2006, the year his mother succumbed to pancreatic cancer. The challenge for Gacias did not end there as two years later, he was diagnosed with lung cancer.
Because of the disease, Gacias’ studies were stalled for two years during which he had a lobectomy—a surgery to remove a part of his lungs—chemotherapy, and radiotherapy.
He eventually returned to studying for his nursing degree but not without ease as he was still recovering from the life-changing phase.
After college, Gacias was able to study medicine in 2013 with the support of his uncles and aunts.
This year, capping ten years after he first took upon himself the challenge of becoming a doctor, hard work paid off for Gacias who dedicated his victory to his mom and brother who died from a car accident and inspired him to take up medicine.
