Ever since the year started, netizens have been participating in the online trend called #10YearChallenge by posting a photo of themselves from a decade ago next to a recent one to show how much they have changed over the years.
A particulat photo uploaded by Albien Emmanuel Gacias has got to be one of the most heartwarming and inspiring #10YearChallenge there is.
In an interview with ABS-CBN News, Gacias said that he wanted to become a doctor after his mother died of pancreatic cancer back in 2006.
However, financial concerns made that dream a far-fetch reality for him, and it even got worse two years after when he found out that he is battling a life-threatening disease.
Gacias shared that 10 years ago, he was fighting for his own life after getting diagnosed with lung cancer.
Because of his cancer diagnosis, Gacias, who was a 20-year-old nursing student at that time, decided to stop his studies for two years to undergo lobectomy and chemotherapy.
Eventually, he started getting better and better until he decided to finally go back to school.
With the help of his uncles and aunts, Gacias was able to study medicine in 2013 at the University of Perpetual Help System in Las Pinas.
Even though he has finished undergoing treatment, Gacias would still go regularly see his doctors for checkup amid his studies.
“At first po sobrang mahirap, pero at the end of the day mas lalo akong sinipag mag-aral kasi mas lalo kong na-value ang life,” he was quoted as saying.
And now, ten years after his cancer diagnosis, Gacias has proven that rough roads truly lead to beautiful destinations after he found out that he was among the 1,209 newly licensed doctors in the country.
“10 years ago ang pinagdadasal ko lang naman ay ang gumaling, wala akong idea na gagawin mo pala akong instrumento para ako naman ang makapagpagaling ng iba. Sobrang amazing mo Lord! Thank you! I am now licensed to heal,” he said on Facebook.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10216974437860526&set=a.1620451398533&type=3&theater
As someone who has been through so much in his life, Gacias has a message to those who are on the verge of giving up on their dreams.
“If you think you will fail in life, there’s always a second chance para ituwid lahat.
“Basta ang importante wag kang susuko dahil at the end of the day mas madami ka din taong maiinspire because of your story,” he said.
