Cancer survivor Kaye Abad encourages victims to keep fighting

During her guest appearance on Karmina Constantino’s “KC After Hours” podcast, Kaye Abad admitted she has always been a worrier who easily gets stressed  even with small things. Yet when she was diagnosed with cancer, she found an unexpected strength in herself.

“Mahina ang loob ko. Sobrang hina ng loob ko. Konting bagay nai-stress ako at nagwo-worry ako. But for some reason, itong pinagdaanan ko, I was strong.”

Her positive outlook gave her the will to document her experience through her vlog. She hopes to encourage others facing a similar journey.

“Grabe ako ka-positive na, ‘I will fight. I will go through this. Gagaling ako.’ I think that inspired me na ituloy-tuloy iyong vlog, to inspire other people na, kung ako nga weak ako, kinaya ko.”

Behind that positivity, however, Kaye was dealing with the physical effects of her medication. She said she was taking oral chemotherapy and experienced extreme weakness, joint pains, and mood swings.

“Malaking bagay iyong support ni Paul Jake, na nandiyan siya. One of the side effects kasi sa gamot ko is weak ako. Hinang-hina ako.”

Her husband, former actor and entrepreneur Paul Jake Castillo, became one of her main sources of support, accompanying her to workouts, inviting her to dinners with friends, and encouraging her to stay connected with people.

Kaye also pushed herself to stay active, even on mornings when she felt like staying in bed.

“I feel weak. Every morning gigising ako, iyong feeling na gusto mong higa ka na lang all day. But ako, pipilitin ko, pupunta akong gym. Magwo-workout ako.”

At the gym, she said, she could temporarily forget that she was sick. She worked out, attended spin class and Pilates, and made plans with friends to keep her mind occupied.

But there were quiet moments when the reality of her diagnosis became harder to escape. Kaye recalled that the bathroom, once her “happy place” because it gave her time alone, became a place where the reality of having cancer would sink in.

She would break down and pray there, particularly because she did not want her children to see her crying.

“Minsan natutulala ako na doon pumapasok na may sakit ako. May cancer ako. And then magdadasal ako after kasi I pray out loud, I talk to Him how I feel. Iiyak ako. I want to see my kids grow.”

The same emotions would surface while she assembled her medicine kit.

“And then lugmok ako. I cry every night. That’s why sa bathroom ako nagdadasal kasi I don’t want to see my kids, they see me crying. Doon ako lugmok palagi every time ina-assemble ko iyong medicine kit ko na doon nagsi-sink in lahat na may cancer ako.”

After those moments, she would look for something that could lift her mood. “And then, nagti-TikTok ako after. I don’t want to go to sleep na down ako, nag-iisip ako na hanggang kelan ako mabubuhay. So, kailangan ko sya tanggalin sa sistema ko.”

Her fears were especially tied to her children. Simply watching them perform at school could bring her to tears because she would wonder whether she would be there to see similar moments in the future.

“Inisip ko, oh my God. This might be the last time I will see them perform. Kahit naka-costume siya, na happy siya nagsasayaw. Naiiyak ako kasi what if this is the last time? I don’t know.”

Beyond the physical effects of cancer, Kaye said the emotional weight of the experience was something others could not fully understand unless they had gone through it themselves.

“Ang daling sabihin na ‘laban, we can fight, we are strong,’ ang dali-daling sabihin. But it's really, really hard na at the back of your head na ‘paano? Paano ka lalaban?’”

Although her husband was there for her, Kaye said there was still a deeply personal part of the experience that only she could carry.

“Iyon ‘yung mahirap na part na ‘yung pinagdadaanan ko, ako lang. Well, yeah, of course my husband is there, but other than that, wala, it's just me.”

Treatment also affected how she viewed her appearance. Kaye said she reached a point where she felt ugly because of her medication, while Paul Jake did not want her to have her hair colored because of the chemicals.

“I have few friends na may alam, and ang laging nakakatulong for me, kasi ako umabot sa point na I feel ugly because of my medication.”

Kaye said the reassurance she received from close friends also helped her cope with the changes in her appearance and regain some confidence.

“I think iyon ‘yung nakakatulong na kinu-compliment ka pa rin nila.”

Kaye revealed on her vlog in May 2025 that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer. In the same vlog, she shared the news that she is now cancer-free.