Newsnomics AJAY ANGELINA reporter |

 

“Pepe, was waiting for God’s miracle, but the miracle never happened”, Pepe knelt down before the death to get relief of her panic sickness and said “good bye “to this world on March 15,2023.

 

Lee Soo-yeon, nick name pepe belonged to a multicultural family living in Siheung, Incheon city of South Korea with her Pilipino mom and Korean father. The whole family was spending joyful life together but un-fortunately the life took a turn and crisis attacked on the family.

In 2019, Pepe’s father who was a construction worker got an accident while he was working in the company on the day of Pepe’s birthday. Accidently, he fell down from the second floor. When he fell down some foreign object like door lock entered through his nose to the brain.

 

The doctors removed the foreign object through surgery and notified that it will be difficult for him to survive. At least Pepe’s father couldn’t survive more than twelve days and died. 

 

Then, Hyejin, Pepe’s mother felt the difficulty of raising two daughters being a single parent in South Korea, lost every hope and went back to Philippines with Pepe and Keke thinking to ‘stay in the Philippine forever.’

 

During their stay in the Philippines pepe became sick because of the lump on her neck. The lump started growing larger and larger. Then Pepe’s her mother and younger sister hurried back to South Korea with hope to get better treatment. 

“That was the time when Pepe, the elder daughter diagnosed with the rare cancer called MPNST (Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumor), a Cancer of cells,” told Pepe’s mom to Newsnomics.

“The doctors told, MPNST is a cancer of cells and only 10

people within a year suffer with this illness in Korea.”

If there will be a cancer of some specific part of the body like, intestine, breast, brain it can be treated but Pepe was suffering with the cancer of cells in her whole body that was difficult to be treated” Pepe’s mother added.

Pepe was born on 23.09.2009 with Neurofibromatosis in the form of lump on her neck that was very small and was not dangerous for her life at that time.

Pepe’s mother told Newsnomics, “Pepe’s father was also having that Neurofibromatosis since his childhood but he spent normal life without any sickness and pain.” 

 

But in case of Pepe, “it became a serious matter, even has taken her life.

 

Earlier we went to see the doctor for lump’s treatment but the matter was not serious at that time. ‘it’s just a lump node and nothing is serious the doctor said.

But as the time passes, Neurofibromatosis changed into MPNST, a rare cancer of cells that killed Pepe in her young age of 14.

 

Pepe tried her best to spend the normal life. She fought with her sickness bravely even studying in the school. But at one stage she stopped going to school, even skipped the online classes because of her body’s panic condition. 

 

 

 

 

“Pepe was very brave girl. She always thought about her mother. She was loved by many people.” Hyejin,

the mother said.

“I always regret myself that I couldn’t do anything for my daughter’s life. “She added.

 

Lee Soo-jin, the younger sister of Pepe nick name Keke (12) is also having Neurofibromatosis since the day of her birth. She was born on June 25,2012 with tumor in her brain that is non-cancerous yet and having routine check-ups like Brain MRI, chest CT, Neck USG etc., every three or six months in the hospital. 

 She has lumps on her body and tumor in her brain but “I hope that it’s going to be non-cancerous forever” the mother told Newsnomics with hope. 

If anybody want to share love and support to Keke for better treatment the information is mentioned right here. 

Contact Number: 010-2471-1906.

Account Number: 351-1280-1745-93 (Nongyup) 

 

 

 

◆ What is Neurofibromatosis?

 

Neurofibromatosis is a group of genetic disorders that cause tumors to form on nerve tissue including the brain, spinal cord and nerves usually are noncancerous at the beginning, but sometimes can become cancerous (malignant) as the time passes creates hearing loss, learning impairment, heart and blood vessel

(cardiovascular) problems, loss of vision, and severe pain.

◆ What is MPNST?
The abbreviation of MPNST is ‘Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumor’, a type of sarcoma (a rare cancer) that grows in the soft tissues of the body, such as muscle, fat, tendons, ligaments, lymph and blood vessels, nerves, and other tissue that connects and supports the body, quickly spread into other parts of the body. 

MPNST is most common in young adults and middle-aged adults, especially people with a genetic condition called neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1). 

It is informative to know that about 25% to 50% of people with MPNST have NF1. And about 8% to 13% of people with NF1 will get MPNST in their lifetime.

In some cases, the people with MPNST do not have symptoms at first. But later, when the tumor gets larger, it creates the symptoms include:
•    pain
•    weakness
•    a growing lump under the skin

That’s the case happened with Lee Soo-yeon, nick name Pepe who left the world in her early 14.