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PHILIPPINE ASIAN NEWS TODAY February 1 - 15, 2019
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Martin Lintag Fights Two Rare Forms of Leukemia,
Needs Stem Cell Donor
By Jamia Pestano
Martin Lintag was born and
raised in the Greater Vancouver area,
with his family settling in Richmond
during his growing up years. He now
resides in New Westminster.
His parents are originally from
the Philippines, with his mom Linda
moving to Canada in the late 70s, and
then his father Oscar coming over in
1988. Before he was diagnosed with
two rare forms of blood cancer, Martin,
or “Marty” as he is fondly called by
close friends and family, worked as a
successful accountant for an industrial
auctioneer company.
Marty was a healthy, energetic
and charismatic person. He enjoyed
playing a lot of sports such as
ultimate frisbee, bowling, volleyball,
dodgeball and worked out every day.
Marty lived his life to the fullest, and
often gave back to the community by
volunteering his time to coach people
in sports.
Martin lived a very active and
healthy lifestyle, and so when he was
diagnosed with two rare forms of
leukemia when he turned 30 years old
last July 2018, he didn’t know what hit
him.
He got sick with strep throat
that never went away, and after a
blood test his family doctor urged him
to go to the emergency ward because
his white cell count was so high. It
was discovered that Marty developed
mixed phenotype acute leukemia
(MPAL). This disease is made of two
The Journey of Martin “Marty” Lintag to find a stem cell donor match.
Match 4 Martin events was held on Saturday February 2nd and Sunday February 3rd from 12 - 6pm at Croatian
Cultural Centre. OneMatch Canada’s stem cell and Marrow Registry organized the event. Register to donate stem
cells and join the movement Match 4 Martin. It’s hashtag: #GETSWABBED Registrants must be 17 - 35 years old.
You might just be a match to save a life like Martin’s. (Photos below by Christian Cunanan)
different types of leukemia, acute
lymphblastic leukemia (ALL) and
acute myeloid leukemia (AML). These
two rare forms of leukemia can be
treated if Martin goes into remission
and receives a stem cell transplant.
He’s currently under palliative
care through Vancouver General
Hospital, and continues to live his day-
to-day life, works out and even drives
himself to his own chemotherapy
treatments. Martin has also reached
out to hospitals outside Canada in
hopes to find alternative treatments.
Despite the huge adversity
Martin is facing, he hasn’t lost
WWW.PHILIPPINEASIANNEWSTODAY.COM
hope. He’s a brave young man who
continues to have a positive attitude
even when he is very close to death’s
door. In Martin’s own words, “stay
positive and don’t sweat the little
things”. He refuses to give up hope
and appreciates the love and support
he’s received from so
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