Hello 2008!

Greeting from KCAT

ako pala yun ah.. :P

Quotable Past

i was reading old posts from my "private blog" (hahaha!)  i was reading the archive dated december 2003! Hint! Hint! Wahahaha! Akalain mong ginagamit ko na pala 'tong mga 'to noon pa? Different situation syempre.. Ah basta! Nakakaliw lang kasi mula noon hanggang ngayon pareho ako ng pananaw sa life...

i can't sit here weeping and waiting forever..

life must go on..

everything has its purpose.. everything that's happening has a reason..

the world won't slow down and wait for me.. i have to move with it and i am moving!

Game. Use it na din.. One fits all yan! Confirmed. :P

Kcat on Y SPEAK

transcript by Talitha Karisse L. Yarza:

Bianca: one way to appreciate life despite all its challenges
is to look at it through the eyes of someone who has triumphed over all of life's trials nakilala namin si kathrina – a child who is everyday fighting for her own life. And has inspired others to live life to the fullest.

At narito, we proudly share her story..

++++++++++++
with more than 12% ng young pinoys na naga-attempt ng suicide at one point in their lives with the reasons ranging
from depression to mental illness and perhaps even poverty, inspiring makakita ng isang tao struggling valiantly to live —
 meet Kathrina Yarza. Kathrina used to live an ordinary life. tipikal na student, tipikal na babae, tipikal na tao.

Clarifications

i just wanna clear some things lang.. kasi most people got mixed up eh.. ayun..

1. i'm not 25 years old.. i'm 24.. aminan na! haha.

2. my surname is YARZA not larza..

3. it's kathrina with the 'h'.. hehe.

4. i've read in some blogs that i took up fine arts in UP.. nah.. i'm from holy mamaw.. college of the holy spirit (in mendiola near malacañang).. :P

clear ko lang talaga.. ok lng sakin noh if nagkamali-mali sa personal info ko.. ako pa din naman 'to eh.. ;)

My Christmas Gift

I'll be featured in News Central again on their Year End Special on December 25 at 10:30 pm (watch me again para masaya!).. ayun.. 1st question was how does it feel like to be a celebrity? yayks! celebrity daw oh.. haha! seriously that's anne's (the reporter) question.. kakatawa promise! haha! kasi i'm just an ordinary person lang talaga.. i'm just normal like you.. i may not look normal (ay oo hindi talaga!) pero i'm normal talaga.. basta sinabing normal ako eh.. normal na abnormal! hahaha! but i'm super happy not only because i got more shirt buyers and raising more funds(yeah! selling like hotcakes.. seriously), i'm also gaining new friends! ang saya! galing galing! i'm getting more than what i wished for.. syempre i'll get the ABI.. next year! woohoo! the nicest thing about all the media exposures is I'M GAINING NEW FRIENDS! grabe ang saya! promise! that's my Christmas present from God this year.. masyado raw madami kaya He sent it it me na kahit wala pang Christmas.. dami pa kasi dadating.. galing noh? Lord next year uli ah.. :P

Thank You Lord

i got this from geff's bulletin post in friendster.. wala lang.. post ko din dito.. i just feel like it.. holy eh.. :P

Heavenly Father,

We thank You Lord for answering our
prayers, we surrender & release
everything to You. We thank You for
all those who prayed with us, those who
showed their compassion & stayed with
him to give him comfort and care.

hi5

i received an email regarding my hi5 account confirmation chuva ek-ek.. akalain mong meron pla ako non.. syempre i got curious an checked my profile and this is what i saw:

About Me
http://www.http://hihihihihihihhihihihihihihihi
:::::the life of Lheeyah, tacK & Pau:::::

http://************8*.blogspot.com
::::::::::::::::::::HaHa::::::::::::::::::

kcat / tack / kat / katHrina

SYUTA ni PAU
BOYPREN ni LHEEYAH
KABIT ni MEI
LOVER ni MICHELLE
JOWA ni YSIAD
MAMI ni KARIZ
feeling 16y/o.. hehe!

"LiVe FoR tHe MoMeNt"

Serious

the topic was serious.. my interview was serious.. ayun! nilagyan ko ng humor! i showed my smile! wahahahaha!

i'm talking about my y speak interview.. hope i could get a copy of it na then i'll post it here.. may kabuluhan din pala pinagsa-sabi ko paminsan-minsan.. :P

THEN

super unexpected.. we ordered 200 shirts.. then 500.. then 1,000.. then.. then.. then.. then..

when i first thought about my shirt fund raising project, i was only thinking that my market would be just my friends, relatives, their colleagues and friends.. and some random people din.. then i created http://hearyeah.multiply.com i was fascinated with online selling at multiply kasi.. me too! inggitera ako eh! :P then i send email to my friends about my shirts and asked them to forward it and send it to their friends as well.. ayun! ang laki na ng market ko! galing! :) then i received a text message from anne yosuico, an abs-cbn reporter for news central..

Hi Katrina. This is Anne Yosuico from Abs-cbn news. Taj Aquino (my cousin.. thank u tlga taj! she emailed it kasi to all her friends and yahoogroups) emailed me about your story. I'd like to do a feature on you, it might help or not, what do you think?

Kcat APROBE

Transcript: Probe

eto nalanG munA.. wala pa yung video eh.. loko-loko kasi youtube eh.. to follow nlng.. super thank u ysiad!!!

TRANSCRIPT BY YSIAD

Kuya Robert: Sa gitna ng nakaririnding katahimikan, gumagawa ng ingay ang isang dalagang tinamaan ng kakaibang sakit. Tunghayan ang kanyang istorya sa A Probe.

Paralisado ang kaliwang bahagi ng katawan. Hindi maigalaw ang kanang bahagi ng mukha.
Hindi makangiti, hirap lumunok, kahit lumuha. Malabo ang paningin, hindi na makarinig.

Ganito ang nilalabanang sakit ni Kathrina Yarza, isang graphic artist. Meron siyang Neurofibromatosis Type 2, o NF2 na sanhi ng kanyang mga tumors sa utak at spinal cord.
Namamana daw ang sakit na NF2. Sa tatay ni Kcat nakita ang NF2 gene, pero sa kanya tumubo ang sakit.

Unti unting lumabas ang mga sintomas ng NF2, habang tumatanda si Kcat. Nung una iba iba
ang naging basa ng mga doktor sa kanyang sakit. Walong taon ang lumipas bago ito natukoy.


Kcat: Laging sumasakit ulo ko, tapos ayun nga, tapos nahihilo ako, nagdo-double vision ako. Dati nung jino-joke lang ako ng mommy ko na bingi nga daw ako. Tatawagin niya ako, Kathrina, tapos hindi ko maririnig. Tapos nalaman namin, eh talaga palang nabibingi na ko. Meron na pala kong mga brain tumors, brain tumors, tatlo na ang brain tumors ko, na malalaki.

Feeling Famous

tacK (11/28/2007 12:11:16 AM): ano nga name nung dentist na nameet ntin?
madge (11/28/2007 12:11:48 AM): naku di nya nabigay yata waitmadge (11/28/2007 12:14:24 AM): Dr. Becille Roldan
tacK (11/28/2007 12:16:09 AM): pano nya ba sinabi na napanood nya ko?

"Root Yourself in Success" posters 61 Strategies

i got this from my blogger friend ida.. nice! nice! nice! share ko lang din.. thanks ida for letting me post this here too..

"Root Yourself in Success" posters 61 Strategies(unknown author)
The poster depicts the simplicity and enveloping beauty of the tree. It´s root system indicates the process of personal growth and the inner strength which develops as a result. Success begins with one seed....one strategy, one decision. The detail of the poster contains the following Strategies, each followed by a sentence or two, summarizing Mary's 61 Strategies for Developing Success.

1. Observe yourself!

Questions for Kcat

Here is the copy of the questionnaire that was given to me by Kuya Robert during his interview with me yesterday.. watch me in Probe Team ah.. ang kulit! Sabi ko sakin nalang kasi po-post ko dito sa blog ko.. :) Then I'll comment on it.. Though di naman 'to masyadong nagamit.. Guide questions nalang siya.. watch nalang kayo on wednesday.. hehe!

Here it is:

1. Please tell us basic info about yourself. How old are you? Where did you go to school? What are your interest?

News Central

Super thank you to ysiad for recording this.. my bestest closest longest friend..

here's the video..


also transcribed by ysiad.. thanks! *mwah*

TJ Manotoc: Here's the story of a girl whose extraordinary love for life is helping her battle a rare disease and inspiring everyone around her. Anne Yosuico has more.

Anne Yosuico: Kathrina Yarza is 25* years old. Because of brain tumors, she can't walk, can't feel her face, can't swallow, can't see well, and can't hear. Despite everything she cannot do, Kcat could be one of the most hopeful and humorous people ever to be affected with Neurofibromatosis Type 2.

Kcat: Hindi porket may sakit ako eh wala na, corny na ko, ganyan.. Hindi naman hihinto ang world para sa yo, di ba.. ikaw ang makiki-jive.. ganun lang..

Anne Yosuico: Kcat's also a business woman. She started a graphics design business with a friend using her design skills, an old desktop, and only her right hand. She hopes to raise 1.5
million pesos so she can get an implant that will help her hear again.

Kcat: My life must go on.. eh may sakit nga ko pero ang dami ko pa din nagagawa, gagawin ko yun..

Anne Yosuico: One of kcat's doctor, Charlotte Chiong is one of the country's top neuro othologist. She says the surgery Kcat will go through has only been done 10 times** before in the country. And for Kcat it would be unique and quite expensive.

Dr. Chiong: We've seen probably more than 200 tumors like this but in those cases it only involves one ___***. So we've probably seen tumor involvement of both sides in about 10 patients and this is what she has. On top of that she also has tumors in her spine and that's basically the reason why she has had problems with mobility.

Kcat: Talagang hindi ako nakatulog. Hinihintay ko magising mommy ko tapos sinabi ko sa kanya. Saka pa lang ako natulog kasi talagang excited na ko na may masabihan na ready na kong makarinig.

Anne Yosuico: Kcat is buoyed by the love and support of family and friends but even her parents are amazed by Kcat's fighting spirit. Her mom Marge**** is also sick with Lupus as well.

Ate Madge: When I feel weak, siya yung iniisip ko na, siya yung, bakit siya hindi nakakarinig. Bakit siya di nakakagalaw yung kalahating katawan niya pero tuloy pa din ang buhay sa kanya. Sa 'kin lagi kong iniisip, ako rin kaya ko kasi ako nakakalakad ako. Kumbaga, Lupus lang yung sakit ko, siya mas matindi. Kaya kung kaya niya mas kaya ko pa rin. Yung strength ko talaga sa kanya ko kinukuha lahat.

Anne Yosuico: Her dad, Egay, is a funny guy who keeps them all entertained but he actually broke down during the interview. A first since Kcat was diagnosed on August of 2004. He feels like all their hardships are a test their family has passed with flying colors.

Kuya Egay: ..Para hindi mawala yung faith ko.. Nakita ko yung the goodness in people. Yung tulong na dumating na.. you don't expect it from certain people na magkukusa (mag)bibigay. Support, na kung ano man, encouragement.. Actually napahiya ako before, I used to judge people dun lang sa itsura eh. and then suddenly hindi mo sila napapansin, hindi kinikibo, inii-snob. Sila mismo kusa nago-offer ng tulong sa'yo.

Kcat: Kasi talagang alam ko naman na, posible talaga lahat lahat.

Anne Yosuico: Kathrina Yarza's inspiring journey is a reminder. Life only gives us challenges, we CAN handle. Reporting for News Central, Anne Yosuico, ABS-CBN News.

TJ Manotoc: You too can help Kathrina Yarza hear again. Check out these shirts we were given. Thanks to Kcat and her whole family who are watching.

Ria Tanjuatco-Trillo: They costs only 300 pesos each and you can get a hold of one and make a difference in Kcat's life by visiting hearyeah.multiply.com

MY LEFT FOOT IS ALREADY MOVING!

yung tendon ba 'to? basta ang saya! kani-kanina lang.. i just imagined na kaya kong pagalawin.. tapos gumalaw nga.. though i always do that.. pero galing! unexpected yung pag galaw nya tapos inulit-ulit ko kasi baka tsamba lang and baka makalimutan ko.. haha! kaaliw! not 100% pero at least diba? ang saya!

woohoo! thanks to my therapists at POC especially ria

This.

me and my fam was interviewed by an abs-cbn reporter (anne yosuico) yesterday which will be aired on news central on studio23 on monday night.. wow diba? ;P she was a friend of my cousin (taj) pala.. kasi i asked my friends and relatives to keep on forwarding the email i sent regarding my fund raising, the hEAR shirts and my mom's solicitation letter.. eh syempre my blogs and my other sites are linked to it.. syempre she read about my so-called drama in life and presented in to her boss.. ayun! instant celebrity! joke. ;P

From MADGE

Dear Everyone:

I am writing in behalf of my 24-year old daughter Maria Kathrina Yarza (Kcat).Three years have past after Kcat was diagnosed with NeurofibromatosisType 2 (NF2) a very rare genetic disease. Neurofibromatosis Type II) is an inherited disease. The main manifestation of the disease is the development of symmetric, non-malignant brain tumours in the region of the cranial nerve VIII, which is the auditory-vestibular nerve that transmits sensory information from the inner ear to the brain. Most people with this condition also experience problems in their eyes. NF II is caused by mutations of the "Merlin" gene which probably influences the form and movement of cells. The principal treatments consist of neurosurgical removal of the tumors and surgical treatment of the eye lesions. There is no therapy for the underlying disorder of cell function caused by the genetic mutation.

Kcat had undergone multiple surgeries related to her NF2.

MIRACLES do happen

woohoo! I'm so happy.. happy.. happy.. woohoo! i'm gonna hear! woohoo! everything is going well... it started when i accidentally searched about ABI on the internet.. that's already a MIRACLE! then another MIRACLE i've recieved was when i had good results in my hearing tests.. it's not so positive but negative either.. it shows that my auditory nerve is still responding..then we consider dr. brackman is really a God sent.. my mom was just inquiring about the PABI and he offered to give his medical opinion regarding my MRIs Free of charge!

help!

since i can't post a bulletin a comment on friendster (i dunno why?), i'll just post it here instead:



CLICK! CLICK! CLICK!

hEAR

here's the copy of the letter/essay(?) i attached inside the plastic of every shirts i'm selling.. togother with the thank you note.. :)

I have NEUROFIBROMATOSIS TYPE 2 (NF2). I have brain tumors. I was normal until my disease got into me. Now, my left extremities are weak, I can’t move my left arm and hand, my left foot won’t move and my left leg is weak. I can’t walk. My right face is numb and my facial muscles won’t move. I can’t swallow well, I have a blurry vision, I can’t smile and most of all, I’M DEAF.

Anonymous

i was blog hopping then i tried searching for nf2 in technoratti.. wala lang.. trip lang.. ;P then i found this person with nf2 in myspace who lives in alabama, us.. ayun i messaged him.. trip lang uli.. ;P eh gusto ko mag-english eh.. bakit ba?

hi! i was blog hopping, searched for nf2

Power of Optimism

from WebMD
share ko lang uli.. ;)

Even if you weren’t born with a sunny outlook, this pioneer in mind/body medicine argues that you can easily cultivate one

Years ago,while I was finishing my premed studies, I developed an acute pain in my abdomen. I reported to the student health center, where they scheduled me for an immediate appendectomy. Hours later, I awoke
in severe pain, alone, and worried. Then something quite ordinary happened. A nurse appeared, held my hand, and simply said, “Don’t worry, Larry. Everything is going to be just fine.” As she stood there, the pain vanished, along with my anxiety. Fear gave way to optimism that I’d make a quick recovery—and I did.

Share ko lang..

i got this from somewhere.. ayun share ko lang.. ;)

GOD HAS POSITIVE ANSWERS
YOU SAY	GOD SAYS	BIBLE VERSES
It’s impossible	All things are possible	Luke 18:25
I’m too tired	I will give you rest	Matthew 11:28-30
Nobody really loves me	I love you	John 3:16 & John 3:34
I can’t go on	My grace is sufficient	II Corinthians 12:9 & Psalm 91:15
I can’t figure things out	I will direct your steps	Proverbs 3:5-6
I can’t do it	You can do all things	Philippians 4:13
I’m not able	I am able	II Corinthians 9:8
It’s not worth it	It will be worth it	Roman 8:28

Sound Booth

if i got a grade of 0 on my hearing test when learned i'm totally deaf (that was january 2006), now i got grade of 65?! hehe. it really isn't the passing grade, but it's better than getting nothing, right?

i had a hearing test last tuesday.. but i still need to undergo another hearing test.. the one i had recently was the ordinary hearing test.. the other one is for the auditory nerve something-something.. i still dunno when i'll have it done.. basta surprise nalang.. hehe.

i already had a lot of hearing tests before, so i already know how it's done.. the audiologist didn't really had a hard time explaining what i am supposed to do with the buzzer.. everytime you hear something, yung press the button.. at first, parang wala lang.. i was just holding the buzzer para may mahawakan lang.. hehe. wala talaga! ang corny! parang walang lang.. then came another style (basta yun na yon!), basta sa bones sa ear.. right ear first, nothing still.. then the audiologist place the earphone to my left ear.. aba! aba! i heard the toot.. i immidiately press the button.. excited eh.. haha! and another.. woohoo! i was able to press the buzzer twice! it's the same sound with what i'm always claiming to be just something i felt.. aba! akalain mo nga naman.. ;P

while i was inside the sound both, with earphones in my ear and buzzer on my hand.. i keep on praying: "Lord sana pindutin ko 'to.." at yun nga!

I love wearing make-up!

i had my hair cut short yesterday... woohoo! short and shiny.. hehe. we went to the parlor after i've attended mass at megamall.. ok, here's the real start of what i'm gonna blog about.. ;P

No Sound

my hearing tests were re-scheduled.. when? i dunno? i was kinda excited for it because i'll be able to know already if the loud sound i hear is actually a sound or just vibration (i keep on protesting that i just feel it in my heart.. ang drama eh noh? hehe) though i'm hoping that i'm wrong.. whenever i hear the loud banging of the door in the cr, noynoy's super loud music, the drums during fiesta, maro's hammering of things, or the oh-so-loud and superrr long thunderstorm. i just say: "basta alam ko!" how did i knew? i'm not so sure.. basta alam ko! dra. chiong said it's sound waves.. s skull ko daw galing.. sabi ko sa heart.. damang-dama ko eh.. wahaha! i'll be able to know sana but something went wrong in the auditing ek-ek in pgh since it's a private property (of dra. chiong).. ah basta, hindi daw pwede! boo! anyway, it's ok though coz i haven't reviewed for that 2 tests yet.. hahaha!

Traveler

UNDERKCAT is back! wooohooo! it's been a week since i thought my blog was missing.. i really dunno what happened.. i panicked because my account suddenly disappeared.. every time i logged in, it says there's no such.. then when i go to my link, it says: page not found.. so, i emailed support a lot of times.. makulit kung makulit! i keep on telling them that this blog is so important to me, etc.. etc.. but i never stop visiting the link.. i've been seeing the Page Not Found a lot of times a day.. until this morning, i went to betty's blog to post my new blog link in her shoutout box.. then i clicked duh TumoRaider from her duhBloggers links.. and i was so surprised to see my old blog.. i can't believe it, my blog's really back! so i type the link again in other browser and there it is again.. my blog! woohoo! i was so happy! happy! joy! joy!

don't worry, i won't abandon this new blog.. i'll cross-post everything i'll be writing in UNDERKCAT..

Dra. Chiong

i have a latest addition to the number of doctors i have.. parang collection eh noh? hahaha! credits to Medical Observer website for the pic..

neway, i'll be having 2 hearing tests on friday.. wish me luck! i'll just b;og about it on friday.. 'til then!

I've Moved on

OK, i'm ready to blog again.. i've been so sad these past few days.. my old blogger account (underkcat.blogspot.com) suddenly disappeared without notice.. I was so sad.. i even cried.. parang break-up lang.. hehe. we've been together for four years.. boypren! haha! i've been writing there most of my sentiments and experience as an NF2 patient.. hayy! whenever i read my old posts and remember what i've gone through, it really motivates me to continue fighting and keep the positive spirit.. this is so sad.. i was really affeted by what happened.. but i'm not letting continue to affect me.. it's just a blog.. i just wrote it.. what's important is what i felt and how it help me become a stronger person.. plus, i even touched lives (sana nga)..

I miss You

i miss my blog (http://underkcat.blogspot.com).. hope it comes back soon.. baka nag-travel? hehe.