By: Monina Mejias, Multisports.ph
A regular speaker and partner for PRA’s seminars, Ms JV Wong is often a ball of sunshine during her talks, motivating the attendees to become better communicators, have a growth mindset, etc. But aside from her gift of speaking, she is likewise a triathlete and joins marathons regularly.
She recently finished the Berlin Marathon where she was able to raise $3,864 for Smile Train Foundation a charity for children with cleft lip and palate.
Here’s an excerpt from Multisports on her journey on how she started her passion for the sport.
“In 2004, Wong was at a blissful point in her life—newly married and also just beginning her career. But at the age of 27, Wong was diagnosed with Gestational Trophoblastic Disease (GTD), a type of cancer that attacks a woman’s reproductive system.
But amid this devastating event, during one of her chemotherapy sessions, Wong realized that this wasn’t at all the end of her life but more of a crucial moment in which she had to make a serious decision: to give up or to stand up. With the unconditional love and support of her family, she decided to fight and carry on. As part of her healing journey, she redirected her sadness by tapping into her creative side.
After undertaking this journey with cancer, she then finished an Ironman 70.3 as well as joined her first marathon at The Bull Runner. With each finish line she crosses, she also celebrates her second chance at life as a cancer survivor.
Just last year, she was contacted by Kimmy Flaviano, the area director for Southeast Asia of the Smile Train Foundation, and asked if she wanted to become a charity athlete for the September BMW Berlin World Marathon under Team Empower.
She turned passion into drive, and those three months of training somehow became enough to prepare her for one of the world’s biggest races. The days leading up to the Berlin marathon were long and arduous, testing the limits of her perseverance. But it was all worth it: On September 2019, with the Philippine flag in hand and the Brandenburg gate in sight, she crossed the finish line.
With this marathon, not only did she run bearing the flag of the Filipino people high, she was also able to outrun her demons. To experience cancer is one thing, but to be able to reinvent and redirect yourself to help a cause is another. With Smile Train, she managed to raise $3,864 which would help give free surgeries to children with cleft lip and palate.”
Read the full story HERE.