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Filipino cardiologist, internist, and online medical influencer Dr. Willie Ong recently announced that he is battling ‘sarcoma cancer” in his stomach and abdominal region. The 60-year-old took to Facebook on September 14 and posted a video sharing the news with his followers.
“It’s serious, but I will fight this battle. For all cancer patients in the Philippines, we will all get better together,” Ong mentioned.
He added how his malignant tumor is “very large” and perhaps “one of the biggest they have seen.” He explained that he recently received the diagnosis; however, he had been suffering from symptoms including “shortness of breath, fatigue, and difficulty in swallowing” since April 2023.
Dr. Willie Ong, fondly called Doc Willie, rose to fame for giving health advice via Facebook and YouTube. In his post recorded on August 29, he also explained that he was receiving chemotherapy and undergoing treatment at an undisclosed location outside the Philippines.
Exploring the life and career of Dr. Willie Ong amid his cancer battle
According to the bio on his official website, Dr. Willie Ong was born on October 24, 1963, in Tondo, Manila, Philippines. He attended Xavier School, followed by the University of the Philippines Diliman, where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in botany. Later, he attended medical school at De La Salle Health Science Institute.
The Filipino physician pursued his Internal Medicine Residency as a Chief Resident at Manila Doctors Hospital. Later, he specialized in cardiology on a fellowship at the University of the Philippines – Philippine General Hospital. Subsequently, he pursued a Master's in Public Health at the University of the Philippines Manila and earned the highest academic performance award.
Now a cardiologist, internist, and social media health advocate, Dr. Ong has penned many medical books during his clerkship year. This included Medicine Blue Book, which was published in 1995, his debut year of residency. To date, it has sold over 400,000 copies across the country.
Additionally, Doc Willie founded the Co Tec Tai Medical Museum in Pasay City, the Philippines, the nation’s first medical museum. It aims to “inspire Filipinos to become health workers and to preserve our country’s medical history.” He also worked as a consultant for the former health secretary Enrique Ona.
Dr. Willie Ong also tried his hand at politics when he ran for the Filipino Senate in 2019 alongside 62 others. He earned over 7.6 million votes in the midterm elections and stood at 18th in the polls. His run was regarded as historical as he only spent a low record amount of 581,000 pesos on his campaign. He also ran for Vice President in the 2022 elections alongside presidential candidate Isko Moreno, the former mayor of Manila.
The medical advocate also served as a consultant for the Filipino Department of Health between 2010 and 2014 and is a health/medical columnist for The Philippine Star and Pilipino Star Ngayon. Dr. Willie Ong gained prominence as an online medical/health advisor in 2013 when he began sharing articles and videos on his social media accounts on Facebook and YouTube. Presently, he has 17 million followers on the former and 9.76 million subscribers on the latter.
Dr. Ong, a Xavier Award for Exemplary Alumni recipient, was a resident medical expert and volunteer doctor for the local TV show Salamat Dok between 2008 and 2018. He has been married to fellow physician Dr. Anna Liza Ong since 1993. She specializes in General Medicine. The couple share two daughters.
Together, they have served the Filipino community for nearly three decades and founded the Pasay Volunteer Charity Health Center. Since 2007, Dr. Willie Ong has stopped taking fees from all his patients and has dedicated his life to serving the poor, providing them unlimited supplies of food, medicines, and clothes throughout the year.
In brief, looking at Dr. Willie Ong’s cancer diagnosis announcement
Over the weekend, Dr. Willie Ong shared the news of his cancer diagnosis with his followers via Facebook and YouTube. Titled “My Battle Against Cancer” and recorded late last month, the nearly 25-minute-long video post showed the cardiologist sitting on his hospital bed wearing a red patient’s gown and sharing his life update. He delivered the message in Filipino, but the video had English subtitles.
“Doc Willie's Battle Against Cancer. Diagnosis: 16x13x12 centimeter SARCOMA in the abdomen. The tumor was hidden behind the heart and in front of the T10 Spine. The mass partially/completely blocked Doc Willie's esophagus, Inferior vena cava, and right atrium,” the post was captioned.
“The reason the release of this video was delayed is because of Doc Willie's serious and complicated journey through chemotherapy. But he feels a bit better now physically and mentally and he wants to be totally honest with his followers. Thank you for understanding.”
Inside the video, the internist explained how he began experiencing breathing and swallowing difficulties in April 2023, followed by persistent back pain in October, calling it the “worst pain of my life,” mentioning how it kept him up at night and made him cry.
He also mentioned that he was currently undergoing treatment abroad, where the doctors found a “very rare” and “deeply hidden” form of sarcoma cancer, which is known to grow rapidly.
Dr. Willie Ong claimed that he believed “stress” was one of the causes of his cancer but was determined to see it through despite not knowing for certain whether he would be able to beat it or not.
He also mentioned how his diagnosis brought his family closer, gave a shout-out to his wife and kids, and urged his followers to not be “sad” but rather preach love and kindness. He also hopes for a miracle healing as he continues to be at peace with his fate.
