CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – Smiling through her tears, a student was surprised on Tuesday as representatives from her school in Mandaluyong City staged a special graduation rite at the hospital in Cagayan de Oro City where she was undergoing treatment for leukemia.
Maria Julpha Villa, 20, finished her studies to attain a Bachelor of Science in Physical Education at Rizal Technological University (RTU) in Mandaluyong, but was not expecting to attend commencement exercises on May 25. She had to be hospitalized after being diagnosed with stage 4 acute mylogenous leukemia, or "cancer of the blood" in February.