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Cesca Litton-Kalaw

@checklit

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@1newsph anchor.
Host. Adventurer. Warrior.
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I’m owning it.
I’m owning every scar, every bruise, every stifled scream, every muffled sob.
I’m owning every fallen strand of hair.
I’m owning the journey, the uncertainty and frustration of it all.
It’s lonely. It’s exhausting. It’s ugly.
It’s devastating. It’s rage-inducing. It’s terrifying.

It’s finding yourself still standing despite being battered by wave after wave.
It’s being enveloped by so much love, support, and prayers, you begin to question if you deserve it all.
It’s finally stepping into your power after a lifetime of shying away from it, because God made you so much stronger than you thought you were, and He knew you needed that push.
It’s not a death sentence. It’s a rebirth.

I knew October was going to be rough. Breast Cancer Awareness month. Being reminded day in and day out of everything I went through in the last 10 months. But with it comes gratitude. For a well-lived life. For a gracious and loving God. For the people who held me up when I was about to fall on my knees.

Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in the Philippines. It’s second in causes of mortality in cancer. Early detection is key. Early detection saves lives.

Shot by @jaysonisaac_.
Makeup by @makeupbyczari, @piareyesmakeup.
Styled by @sidney_yap.

#breastcancerawarenessmonth #breastcancerwarrior
#breastcancer by @checklit

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176

a year ago

Found a lump. Act now, feel later.
Diagnosis. Act now, feel later.
Surgery. Act now, feel later.
After 6 cycles of chemotherapy, later is now.

It felt like I was holding my breath for the past few months, holding myself together because there was still so much to be done. The closer I got to my last chemo cycle, the more I unraveled, and last Friday, I could finally breathe and let go.

It’s not over yet. I start hormonal treatments next month, more tests and meds for the next 5 years, and then hopefully be declared officially in remission. For now, I celebrate this win. I will celebrate every single win I can, big or small.

I also celebrate the people who got me through. Every single circle in my life stepped up, the expected and the unexpected. Complete strangers who have reached out and shared their stories, prayers, words of encouragement. My doctors and nurses who ensured I got the best care. But above all else, how do I even begin to thank a God who carried me through this?

Apologies in advance if I’m just a weepy mess, the floodgates are open and I’m not sure how long it’ll take for all the emotions to settle.

Thank you for all the love and support. Job’s not done, but we keep going. God is good. Always.🩷 by @checklit

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167

a year ago

2024 had one last surprise for me.
Breast cancer.

December was a whirlwind of tests and consultations, until the biopsy results confirmed the big C. I don’t think I ever really gave myself time to process, I just shifted into “act now, feel later” mode. Mastectomy/reconstruction done in January. Chemo started in March.

And yes, this whole time I’ve been working, trying to keep my life and routine as normal as possible, and also, because I can. (Hello, if you’re new here, my name is Cesca and I am extremely hardheaded and stubborn, it’s really endearing once you get used to it.😘🤣)

I wanted to keep this quiet, but there was no point in hiding it anymore once I started losing my hair. (That pixie cut lasted 2 1/2 weeks until my hair started falling out in clumps.🤦🏻‍♀️ I decided to just shave it off, I have a wig ready for work purposes, and a growing collection of scarves and turbans.)

But enough about me. This is really meant to be a tribute to a support system that has gone above and beyond for me despite my best attempts at downplaying what I’m dealing with.

Not everyone or everything has a photo. My circles have made their presence felt in so many ways and the support has been overwhelming. I wish I could list it all down, but my original caption was way too long.

Thank you for showing me I don’t have to go through this alone.
Thank you for praying so hard for me that I can actually feel myself being held up by prayers.
Thank you to the people who have given me grace and time to do what I need to do.
Thank you to the ones who respected me enough to leave this as my story to tell, because my story is far from over. I’ve got things to do, places to see, mountains to climb, and love to give back.😉 God is good. Always.

PS: Early detection is key. You really never think it could happen to you until it does, so please stay on top of your check-ups.♥️ by @checklit

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809

a year ago

April 2026
(I’ll catch up eventually.🙈)

Pilates at @optionsstudiobgc.🩷

So much love for the Norwoods.
Couldn’t let them leave without a send-off.
(We miss you guys so much.🥺)

These beautiful souls.🩷

Casa Kramer. 🏠

One News station ID shoot. 🎥

Fishing party for my dad’s 80th. 🎣

Polly is a rescue who is also a cancer survivor. She has since been adopted.🩷
Thank you, @straystooasis, for the work that you do.

From Italy to the Philippines, CSA forever.

College crew came together for @the.miko.van.chong in Manila!😊

And I randomly saw my courtside bebes.🤗

Invading Casa Sulit.

Lunch with my college loves. Missing Ranza.

Apollo’s 7th birthday. 🐶 by @checklit

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7

16 days ago

Just a year ago I thought my body would never recover from everything it went through.

And in some ways, it won’t.

But the body is amazing.
So much more than what I trusted mine to be.
Broken, but strong.

I celebrate my milestones because I don’t know if my world will come crashing down in seconds again.
I celebrate my milestones because I know what it took to get here.
I celebrate because I owe it to the people who put in the work to get me here.
Thank you. by @checklit

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19

21 days ago

Morning Matters in @plainsandprints/@rafmanila.💃 by @checklit

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1

22 days ago

I know I never post on time, but I think this calls for it.😉

Got the chance to sit down with basketball legends Jason Kidd, Tony Parker, and Lauren Jackson before NBA House this weekend.

Interviews air tomorrow on @1newsph.😊 by @checklit

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31

a month ago

There’s a reason I bring @relumins_official collagen with me anywhere I go.🩷

www.flawlessbeautyandskinph.com

#ReluminsBeautyRevealed by @checklit

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5

a month ago

Grateful for this new chapter in my career.

We are One News.
Your side, all the time. by @checklit

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33

2 months ago

Two kinds of dogs.

#GoldenRetriever #AlaskanMalamute by @checklit

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14

2 months ago

Mt. Pinatubo. March, 2026.
(Again, I am fully aware it’s already July.🤦🏻‍♀️)

Went for the hike, ended up sharing my story.
3rd Pinatubo climb in the books.
Always in awe. Always grateful. by @checklit

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6

2 months ago

June 27, 2025, I finished 6 cycles of chemotherapy. Unbeknownst to me at the time, June just happens to be Cancer Survivors Month.

What is survivorship, really?

How do you even begin to define something that simultaneously hits you with the hardest reality and suspends you in disbelief?
It’s grieving for a life you lost, while trying to live this second chance to the fullest.
It’s living in constant motion because you’re afraid of what could catch up to you if you stop.
It’s fear clutching your heart during every test, and only breathing once results come out clear.
It’s refusing to let cancer become your identity, but acknowledging you are who you are now because of it.
It’s living in denial because you’re exhausted from the emotions that come crashing down every time you remember what you went through.
It’s unadulterated rage from losing so much of yourself to something you can’t even see.
It’s the ache in your bones that never goes away.
It’s living with visible and invisible scars.
It’s loneliness because no one understands what it’s really like unless they’ve gone through it.
It’s plastering a smile on your face on the hard days because you don’t want anyone to worry about you anymore.
It’s picking yourself up and moving forward, whether it’s by an inch or a foot, because you’ll be damned if you let cancer take anything else away from you.
But we are grateful. For the good days, for the bad days that forged us in fire, for the life that we still have, for people who show their love in myriad ways, and for a God who continues to carry us through.

June 27, 2026. One year since. 4 more years of “No Evidence of Disease”, and then I’m officially in remission. Til then, I live, I breathe, I climb mountains literally and figuratively. God is good, always.

To my fellow survivors, I see you. Just because we carry it well doesn’t mean it’s easy. May our hearts heal, may our minds be calm, and may we continue kicking cancer’s ass. Happy Cancer Survivor’s Month.🩷🎗️🩷 by @checklit

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189

3 months ago