I’ve mentioned in a previous post that I have been posting a lot of sad news lately, well… another sad event has happened and this time it hit close to home.
Yesterday, my officemate and friend, Marion Martinez, passed away after a four year battle of ovarian cancer.
Today, we held a mass and tribute for her, lead by the Integrated Marketing Group in the Chapel of the Annunciation in the ABS-CBN compound. Her family brought her urn to the office and held a simple lunch in the marketing office.
I spent half of the tribute crying my eyes out as her close friends from Marketing and Synergy (the department where she previously worked) shared stories.
It brought me back to fond memories of Marion. She was one of the friendliest people in the office. She had such a pleasing personality that we became friends the instant she moved to Marketing back in 2006. We didn’t even have a common project back then. I can’t remember when exactly our friendship started but we bonded over common people we knew, like my cousin Miloy, who she worked with during her Synergy days. She’s share stories of their times together and my cousin would also do the same when I see him.
I think the time we first got to work together was the 55th anniversary promo project, where I had two major sponsors. Marion was the team lead for trade marketing and we would be meeting together and coordinating with each other about it. Since then, we would always greet each other in the hallways and share an anecdote or two.
It was also around that time she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Her treatment went well and she was back in fighting form after some time. I would often ask her, “How are you?” and she would talk about her treatments like it wasn’t the most tragic thing that can happen in her life.
Years went by, and what got my crying was when I remembered a memory with her back in 2010. I have just gotten back from my leave from my anxiety disorder and she just got back from her treatments since her cancer came back. We were surprised to have gone away from the same time. I remember we were telling each other that we haven’t seen each other for quite some time and swapped stories. Looking back, I knew somehow I got strength from her with what she went through to go on through my own personal battle.
She briefly became part of the original Team Bagets, where she was in charge of the events and other trade stuff for kids, until she was already having a hard time with her sickness. I remember one long car ride with her to a meeting in Nestle, where she was the one who helped me out with my VJ spiel project, she shared with me her trip to Europe and the things she does for her treatment.
Her sickness to a turn for the worse about a month ago. Her friends all rallied to help raise funds for an operation for her since her cancer was spreading.
The Marketing team organized a Shop For Cause for the 1M for Marion movement and I bought these pretty shoes just for her. Whenever I wear this, I will remember my dear friend.
Au revoir, my friend! You can rest now. It was a battle well fought and you have won. We will miss you!
* Some photos taken from Marion’s own FB page and from Hub Uy.
Viva La Vida! 