Meet Cheskca Lacandazo, a young woman who will inspire you to make the very best out of life

Despite facing immense difficulties, there are people who have learned to rise above the circumstance and have embraced their disability to achieve the extraordinary. Such is the story of Cheskca Lacandazo, who is visually impaired but still manages to live a happy, fulfilling life. With her mom's help, Cheskca's future is now secured thanks to FWD's Set for Health plan. 

A challenge to overcome
At only two months old, Cheskca was diagnosed with stage five retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). This condition is caused by an abnormal growth of blood vessels around the retina and is prevalent among premature babies. Verna's mom made the difficult decision not to have Cheska undergo the risky operation, which could've saved her daughter's vision but which had a low survival rate. 

She can, she will
While opting out of her daughter's procedure, Verna made sure that Cheskca would still live a normal life. Luckily, the young lady grew up to be very independent—helping out around the house, learning to dress and bathe herself, and assisting in the family business. This also serves as her bonding time with her mom, aside from the usual kwentuhan. 

According to Verna, Cheskca had developed a keen memory, memorizing clients' names when she accompanied her mother to business meetings. Like any teen her age, Cheskca loves to watch teleseryes and play the piano on her spare time. What's admirable is that she's mostly self-taught, learning from just listening to music until memorizing and playing the notes by herself. 

Seeing how music made her daughter happy and engaged, Verna hired a private music teacher to hone her talent further. Cheskca was diligent and practiced daily until it came to a point wherein the teacher told them that there's nothing to teach her anymore. Together with other kids with disabilities from her school, Cheskca performs in recitals and events in Manila. 

Future unlocked
For Verna, nothing is more important than securing her children's future. Cheskca is currently covered by FWD's 

But it wasn't easy for the mother and daughter to secure such coverage. Before FWD, they had been rejected not once but twice by two other insurance firms. For one of these firms, Cheskca was even required to undergo a psychological test. Fortunately, a friend of Verna's recommended her to try FWD. At FWD, there was no need for her medical history. And after only a few weeks, Cheskca got approved. 

FWD's Set for Health is a comprehensive health plan which covers critical illnesses. And this was precisely what Verna was seeking for her daughter. 

She wanted to make sure that her daughter would be protected, whatever the circumstances. According to her, hospital bills can be scary, but now that her child is covered, she doesn't have to worry anymore. 

Next steps
With FWD's Set for Health, the mother and daughter have acquired peace of mind and can enjoy life's greatest moments. For Chescka's 18th birthday, Verna threw her a party where all her loved ones gathered. Even with her disability, Chescka remains positive and takes all of what's handed to her with a bright smile. She doesn't think that just because she can't see, she can't be happy anymore. In the near future, she'd like to experience watching a movie in the theaters and travel overseas, especially to Korea and Singapore.
As for Verna, she wants to see her child finish schooling and reach her dream of becoming a teacher. 

As seen from Cheskca's inspiring journey, having a disability does not mean a lesser life. Like her, you can still pursue your studies, discover your passions, and enjoy all of life's beautiful moments. All it takes is to have a great support system, an optimistic mindset, and a comprehensive coverage plan for your security. Because of her mom's patience and persistence, Cheskca's future is now more secure than ever with FWD's Set for Health.