GUIDED BY LIGHT

Armed with her faith and hopeful mindset, SHEILA ROMERO has conquered trials with grace. Now, she’s sharing her source of strength and how she’s found her higher purpose in life helping others in need

- ANGELA CASCO

With a smile, Sheila Romero tells us she had just turned 50 years old this month.

It's the first time she's revealed her age publicly. She’s proud to do so—not only because she knows that life is finite, but also given she's survived circumstances that threatened her life.

On February 17, 2020, Sheila felt a lump on her breast. When she had it checked the next day, she was shocked to know that she had stage three breast cancer.

After constant prayers to God asking what she should do next, the answer became clear: when given the right opportunity, she will spread wisdom to others and share how Jesus saved her life.

I have been contemplating for quite some time on whether I should share my story or not, Romero, the vice-chair of carrier Philippines AirAsia, shares. “Because what God gives, he can take away. God didn’t heal me to keep it to myself. It’s meant to be shared that cancer is not a death sentence.”

A SHIFT IN PERSPECTIVE

Like many of us, Romero never expected that a global health crisis such as COVID-19 would happen in her lifetime.

“This pandemic definitely gave us a lot of realizations that life is short, that family's important, as well as our personal relationships with others—it allowed me to take a step back and really examine where I was,” she muses. “You'll never know if you'll have tomorrow to say all the things you wanted to say.”

With her actualizations during the quarantine period came a lifestyle change. Instead of picking up her phone to check messages the moment she wakes up, Sheila now prays and gives thanks for the safety of herself and all she holds dear.