Tag: breast cancer

After 18 years of putting her kids first, Mommy Lan is learning that slowing down and taking care of herself isn’t selfish. It’s sacred.

Hi, Bagong Nanay.

I didn’t expect this day would come.

I used to drink Mother Nurture Coffee and Choco Mixes as a Bagong Nanay to my firstborn daughter. I loved it so much that, during the pandemic, I applied to become one of its resellers.

IYKYK, pero hindi madali bago maging reseller ng Mother Nurture! Kaya sobrang saya ko when I finally got chosen.

Selling Mother Nurture to new moms became one of the things that helped me stay sane and earn extra income during the pandemic.

That’s why I’m especially honored to share the Kuwentong Bagong Nanay of Mommy Lan Perez, the founder of Mother Nurture and a mom of three.

Mommy Lan recently shared that she was diagnosed with breast cancer. And when I found out, I knew I wanted to talk to her.

But I didn’t want this story to be just about cancer.

I wanted to know more about the mom behind a brand that helped so many of us through our breastfeeding journeys. I wanted to hear about her own motherhood journey, the things she learned along the way, and what she wants other moms to know now that she is going through a very different season in her life.

So when Mommy Lan messaged me last Tuesday and said she was free for a Zoom call, I was like, YES!

We met at around 3:30 p.m. on a Wednesday, and when she appeared on my screen, she was glowing.

I was so honored to have an hour with her, amid the Breastfeeding Awareness Month, and of course, I knew I had to share her story with you.

Here’s Mommy Lan’s Kuwentong Bagong Nanay.

“Lahat ng hindi ko naranasan [bilang anak], yun ang ginawa ko sa mga anak ko.”

Lan Perez, mom of three

Before Mommy Lan became a mom, she already knew what kind of mother she wanted to be.

She grew up in a blended family, and her grandmother raised her. Her mom was often busy, so Mommy Lan became independent at a young age.

“Alam mo yung feeling na paggising mo, wala yung mommy mo?” she told me.

“Lumaki ako na medyo independent. Mas naging close ako sa mga helpers, kasi my mom was a businesswoman, at busy talaga siya.”

And because of that experience, she knew what she wanted to give her own children.

“Kaya when I became a mom, lahat ng hindi ko naranasan, yun ang ginawa ko sa mga anak ko.”

Mommy Lan and her husband Antoine now have three children, and she admits she’s an overprotective mom. She wanted to be as present as possible.

But just like all of us, she had her own doubts when she became a Bagong Nanay.

“Yung first child ko, I was so scared. Paano ko ba ‘to papalakihin? May capacity ba ako to be a mom? Yung maternal instinct ko ba sobrang lakas?”

Her eldest is now 18. And yes, she remembers that feeling all too well.

From cloth diapers to breastfeeding

When she got pregnant with her second child in 2013, Mommy Lan started learning everything she could about motherhood.

“Mas marami kang kailangang aralin if you’re a first-time mom at that time.”

She learned about cloth diapering, babywearing, breastfeeding, and all the things that moms were getting into at the time.

Then came baby number three in 2018. By then, you would think she had motherhood figured out. But her third pregnancy was actually one of her hardest. She had experienced a miscarriage the year before.

“Dito ako nakaranas ng postpartum. I had a miscarriage the year before. Hindi ako nakapag-trabaho. Naka-bed rest ako for 12 weeks, at wala kaming helper.”

She wasn’t allowed to move around except to go to the bathroom, so she asked a neighbor to help supply their food. At work, she had to delegate.

“Patong-patong—I had a hard pregnancy, I delegated work stuff to my team, and yung transition, sobrang biglaan. They needed to step up, and as for me, I had to trust them.”

“I wish yung mga moms ngayon mas simplehan at ‘wag i-complicate ang breastfeeding. Mag-slow down sila, mag-eye to eye contact. ‘Yun ang sana hindi nila ma-miss out.”

Lan Perez, mom of three

Her husband helped with chores after work, while her kids helped her, too. Then she had an emergency C-section. She had preeclampsia for the second time, her body reacted to the anesthesia, and she needed a blood transfusion. And then came another unexpected decision.

“Eto pa, Mommy Judy,” she told me. “Sinabay na ako i-ligate.”

They hadn’t planned on having a ligation because they weren’t expecting a C-section. At first, her husband didn’t agree. But eventually, they decided that the pros outweighed the cons.

“Eventually, napabuti rin pala na ni-ligate na ako.”

Her recovery was no joke. She remembers taking her first walk when they got home.

“Yung first walk ko, parang 10 steps lang, pero parang 10 minutes.”

And they still didn’t have a helper.

“I wanted to help myself recover. Yung mga kids ko, sila nag-help mag-change ng diapers ko. Tulungan din kami.”

After everything she had gone through, she couldn’t help but ask God:

“Bakit from pregnancy up to giving birth, ang hirap?”

But motherhood also taught her to trust other people. And by the time she became a mom of three, she says she had become a much more confident—and chill—mom.

“Hindi na ako OA. Ang rules lang namin noon, tatlo: Dapat well-fed, walang sugat, at maligo sila araw-araw.”

At the forefront of breastfeeding

Her breastfeeding journey inspired a lot of moms. Mommy Lan wasn’t able to breastfeed her first child. So with her second child, she explored relactation. With her third, she breastfed until her child was eight years old.

Over the years, she has seen breastfeeding change so much. And while she’s happy that moms today have more options and access to information, she also feels that sometimes, we make breastfeeding more complicated than it needs to be.

“Mas marami nang options ang mga moms ngayon. Nag-iba na talaga ang dynamics.”

She noticed how fast-paced breastfeeding has become—even how breastmilk is expected to look.

“Yung milk, mas aesthetic, dapat flat, walang bubbles.”

And this is what she wants moms to remember:

“I wish yung mga moms ngayon mas simplehan lang, ‘wag i-complicate ang mga bagay-bagay.”

She added, “Ang breastfeeding basta may dede at may baby, okay na. Mag-slow down sila, mag-eye to eye yung mom and baby. ‘Yun ang sana hindi nila ma-miss out.”

And I think this is something many of us Bagong Nanays can relate to. Time is fleeting and we should cherish and treasure these moments while we still can.

Then Mommy Lan was diagnosed with breast cancer.

Mommy Lan shared in detail how she found out about her cancer in her video, The Brave Mom.

She first noticed the lump in December, when she and her family went to Taiwan to celebrate her eldest child’s 18th birthday. She felt a sharp pain in her breast that eventually became a striking pain reaching her back.

She had her first checkup on December 26, 2025. In January, she found out that she had breast cancer.

“My diagnosis forced me to rest,” she told me.

And when she looked back at the year before her diagnosis, she realized just how exhausted she had been. Mommy Lan lives in a secluded area in Rizal, so whenever she went out, everything had to be planned.

“Yung mga anak ko, ang daming co-curricular activities. Wala talaga silang pahinga even on a Sunday. Our year was very competitive.”

But she didn’t think much of her exhaustion.

“Hindi ko napansin, kasi masaya ako pag productive ako.”

Her friends noticed that she was tired, but she didn’t. Until her body told her to slow down.

“Pwede pala na ako muna.”

For someone who loves to plan, being diagnosed with cancer meant that her entire schedule had to change.

“Nung na-diagnose ako, nagbago yung schedule ko. From football game to hospital check-up, or from meeting or collaboration with brands, surgery ang kapalit non.”

But her diagnosis also made her ask a bigger question:

Who am I aside from being a mom?

And honestly, she didn’t immediately know the answer.

“Eighty percent ng identity ko na-mold sa pagiging nanay dahil 18 years kong inuuna ang mga anak ko.”

Then she realized:

“After my diagnosis, pwede pala na ako muna. Nung inuna ko yung sarili ko, hindi naman pala masama.”

“Hindi mo naman ni-neglect mga anak mo. Uunahin mo lang ang sarili mo kasi kailangan mo mag-heal.”

She wants moms to know that choosing yourself doesn’t mean you’re neglecting your children.

Her diagnosis changed how she sees motherhood

Mommy Lan even considers her diagnosis a gift. Not because she would ever wish for cancer, but because it forced her to really rest and slow down.

“May notion tayo na kapag nanay ka, kaya natin lahat. Motherhood is not only a blessing, it’s also a ministry. Kailangan mo talaga ng grace ni God. Hindi ko kakayanin kung ako lang mag-isa.”

Lan Perez, mom of three

For years, she had been the one doing everything. But when she finally stepped back, her family stepped up.

“Since na-train mo naman yung mga anak mo, nabigay mo yung time mo, the intentionality was there.“

Then she said something that really struck me:

“When I decided to step back, nakita ko na nag-step up yung family ko.”

For 18 years, she had been planting. And now, she was seeing the fruit of all that intentional parenting.

“Ma, sige, daanan mo lang yan.”

One of the things Mommy Lan is most grateful for is how her children have responded to her illness.

As a business owner, she admits there were times when she was physically with her kids but not necessarily mentally present. Especially with her youngest, who is always curious and loves asking questions.

“Before, pag may ginagawa ako, the easiest answer, yun lang binibigay ko sa kanya. Ngayon, mas present ako with them—physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually, and psychologically.”

Her kids have also had to make adjustments. They paused some of their activities so they could give way to her recovery. And instead of complaining, they told her:

“It’s okay, Mom. We’ll come back when you’re fully recovered.”

The same children she spent years caring for are now telling her that it’s okay to take care of herself.

Mommy Lan has completed 16 cycles of chemotherapy and will be going through radiation next. She hopes to be in remission by next year.

Mommy Lan’s advice to Bagong Nanays: Take care of yourself.

When I asked Mommy Lan what she wanted to tell Bagong Nanays, she didn’t say we needed to become better moms. She said we need to become better at taking care of ourselves.

“You have to be intentional with your own body. ‘Wag mo siyang i-take for granted.”

She knows how difficult that is, especially when you’re a first-time mom.

“The puyat, the changes in your body, it’s really hard to do it. Kapag naka-adjust ka na around six months, kailangan mong mag-me time.”

She added, “It doesn’t have to be grand. Hindi kailangang magpa-spa or shopping. Just set a time for yourself and do the things that make you happy.”

For Mommy Lan, it’s coffee, journaling, and prayer time.

“Kung pwede, makapag-set ka ng 30 minutes for prayer time because motherhood is not only a blessing, it’s also a ministry. Kailangan mo talaga ng grace ni God. Hindi ko kakayanin kung ako lang mag-isa.”

Even with Mother Nurture, there were moments when she wanted to give up.

“There were times that I wanted to close it down kasi ang hirap. Pero may mababasa akong testimonial ng nanay online, kaya tuloy pa rin.”

Her advice?

“Devote time for yourself and for the Lord. Hindi ko kakayanin ito ng mag-isa.”

And finally: REST.

Mommy Lan remembers feeling guilty whenever she took naps. She felt like she was missing out. But now, she sees rest differently.

Exercise. Quality sleep. Rest. These are not rewards for when you’ve finished everything. Because, let’s be honest, when you’re a mom, there will always be something left to do. So rest anyway.

And if you need permission to do it, let Mommy Lan give it to you.

“When you rest, pinapaubaya mo sa Kanya lahat eh.”

Then she said:

“Rest is worshipping. ‘Wag kang matakot to rest, kasi hindi talaga tayo papabayaan ni Lord.”

And maybe that’s the reminder we need today, Bagong Nanay.

We spend so much time making sure our babies are fed, our kids are okay, our husbands are okay, our homes are okay, and everyone has what they need.

But, how about you, Bagong Nanay? Kumain ka na ba? Ilang oras tulog mo? Have you done something just because it makes you happy? Because you matter, too.

And taking care of yourself doesn’t make you a selfish mom.

It makes you a mom who understands that she can slow down and deserves care, too.

So go ahead, Bagong Nanay. Buy your milk tea. Take the nap. Ask for help. Sit down in the toilet with the door closed for a while. Pray.

And don’t feel guilty about it. Because sometimes, the best thing you can do for your family is to take care of their Nanay, too. ♡

Follow Mommy Lan’s journey on Facebook, and support her business, Mother Nurture, the pioneering lactation coffee and chocolate mixes in the Philippines.