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Cancer is one of the most prevalent diseases of our time.

Though it can be fatal, modern medicine has allowed many to survive and recover from it but treatment can be expensive.

This is where the Filipino American Cancer Care (FACC) comes in.

The nonprofit, volunteer-based organization serves Filipinos and Filipino Americans especially in the Washington DC, Maryland, and Virginia area. It was founded in 2020 by Josie Moralidad Ziman, who is a breast cancer survivor.

"I am so glad that everybody is supporting this fight against cancer because this is not just my fight. This is your fight and everyone's fight," Ziman said.

The group recently organized a fashion show as part of its efforts to help cancer patients in their treatment. Even non-Filipinos were among the beneficiaries.

"This year, we have 23 cancer patient beneficiaries. Each one of them will receive $1000 from the Filipino American Cancer Care," Ziman noted. "We have one cancer beneficiary from Ukraine. We have three in the United States."

The show featured three Filipino American designers including Carl Andrada who showcased his proudly Filipino-inspired creations.

"When Josie approached me, I immediately said yes because it is very special to me because my mom died of cancer in 2013," Andrada shared.

Some of the designers’ creations were worn and modeled by cancer warriors, cancer survivors, and family members of cancer patients.

Among them was US Navy Commander and Pentagon Spokesperson Jessica McNulty who is currently battling breast cancer.

Cancer survivor Jun Bustamante said fundraising events like this will be of big help to the beneficiaries.

"Being sick is really expensive. You need to have good finance to even pay for the treatments. I know it is going to be tough doing the treatment phase but there's light at the end of the tunnel," Bustamante said.

26-year-old colorectal cancer patient Rocel Borinaga is one of the 23 FACC Beneficiaries. She urges everyone to regularly have a physical exam.

"For those people who are not aware with cancer, I want to let you know that you should have an annual checkup. Kasi kahit alam natin na tayo ay malakas, physically, but hindi natin alam anong nangyayari sa loob ng katawan natin," she said.

(Even if we know that we are strong physically, we don’t know what’s happening inside our body.)

With the fund-raising event, FACC hopes to send out the message of the importance of taking care of one another.

"This is the time that we need to come together because nobody fights cancer alone. No one is alone in the fight against cancer," Ziman stressed.