Another chance at life: Dr SweetC Alipon’s healing journey and the lifesaving power of blood donation

On paper, Dr SweetC Alipon is a shining exemplar of health. A medical doctor and global health advocate, she's a vegetarian since 2019 and has actively championed fitness, alongside climate awareness and disease prevention. Her career spans continents, from Africa to Asia, fighting disease and promoting maternal and child health, vaccination and emergency response in some of the world's most vulnerable regions.

But everything suddenly changed in an instant.

"One day, I started passing blood in my stools," she recounts. "It came as a shock-especially since I had just completed my routine medical check-up and felt completely fine." What began as a befuddling symptom quickly escalated into an emergency. By the time SweetC was rushed to the emergency room due to severe bleeding, her haemoglobin had plunged to 6.2 g/dL (normal range is 12-15 g/dL for women her age). The diagnosis: a tumor, silent, rare, and severe.

SweetC during a measles-rubella vaccination campaign in Java, Indonesia. Photo: WHO

Fear, disbelief and gratitude

"How could a seemingly healthy person like me have abnormal cells growing inside without me feeling anything?" SweetC reflects. "I was in denial. And I was sad, my sister was still battling breast cancer at the time. It felt like too much."

Yet in these darkest moments, SweetC found herself lifted by the outpouring of love from her community. "My family, friends, colleagues, even people I hadn't spoken to in years---they all reached out. That support gave me strength."

Kindness flowing through her veins

But beyond emotional support, her survival hinged on something far more tangible: blood.

"I received 15 bags of life-saving blood before my surgery, and another bag after," she says. "I honestly don't know how I would have survived without them. I feel deeply indebted to the donors, people I may never meet, but whose kindness now flows through my veins."

SweetC in NIgeria for a maternal and neonatal tetanus elimination campaign. Photo: WHO

As a physician, SweetC had long known the clinical importance of blood. In her earlier years working at the Philippine General Hospital, she'd even used her own money to help patients afford donor screening. While working with Doctors Without Borders in Sierra Leone, she helped organize blood drives for mothers and children in crisis zones. So, when the patient bracelet was on her own wrist, the reality of blood donation took on a whole new meaning for her.

Not just a slogan

"Blood donors save lives," she says simply. "It's not just a slogan. It's a fact I live with every single day."

She vividly remembers how each transfusion brough back color, strength and the will to fight. "Physically, I felt like I was being revived. Emotionally, I felt hopeful. Someone, somewhere, had given me the chance to live."

Today, while her professional focus remains on immunization and preventive care with the World Health Organization Solomon Islands country office, SweetC has become an unexpected but powerful voice for blood donation-sharing her story to encourage others to give.

SweetC during a maternal and neonatal tetanus elimination campaign in Punjab, Pakistan. Photo: WHO

"It may not be my main advocacy," she admits, "but I now understand how deeply personal it is. One small act-donating blood-can change someone's entire future."

To regular donors, she offers heartfelt thanks: "You may never meet the people you help, but your generosity is powerful. Quiet. Consistent. Life-giving."

To those who've never donated blood before, she offers a gentle nudge: "It takes so little of your time. But to someone in crisis, your blood can mean everything. Your donation could be the reason a mother survives childbirth, a child recovers from illness, or someone like me gets another chance at life. Your simple act can have a lifetime impact on someone else."

As the world marks World Blood Donor Day, SweetC sees the occasion not as a date on a calendar, but a deeply personal tribute. "It's a day to honor everyday heroes-those who give without expecting anything in return, motivated only by kindness and a sense of shared humanity."

Now recovered, she has nothing but gratitude to describe her journey. "Gratitude for my medical team, for my loved ones, and for waking up to every sunrise and every small moment I once took for granted. But most of all, for the selfless strangers who saved my life and gave me a chance to live better." Her message to others battling cancer is clear: "You are not alone. Take it one step at a time. You are stronger than you think, and there is beauty waiting beyond the diagnosis."

In SweetC's story, there's a convergence of science and compassion. Her survival is not just a testimony to medical care, but also to the silent heroes whose donations made that care possible. A pint of blood may seem small, but to someone like her and many others, it could mean another chance at life.