Alumna in Focus: Crisann Olives Celdran (High School 1990)
Crisann Olives Celdran stands at the intersection of purpose and resilience. A proud graduate of High School Batch 1990, she embodies what it means to be “Like an AC Girl”— rooted in faith, strengthened by community, and moved by a mission beyond herself.
As a breast cancer survivor, and co-founder and chairwoman of the ICanServe Foundation, Crisann has transformed her personal battle into a powerful movement of hope, awareness, and empowerment for thousands of women. With grace shaped by adversity and a heart anchored in compassion, she continues to live out the values instilled in her by her Assumption education—quietly, purposefully, and always with love. In this special feature, we sit down with Crisann as she reflects on faith, survivorship, sisterhood, and the everyday miracles that keep her moving forward.
AAA: How are you, Crisann? Ready to tell your story to everybody?
Crisann: Ready. But it’s the kind that needs a cup of coffee or tea… and maybe a box of tissue. Nine years after leaving the halls of Assumption, five months after my wedding, and what felt like three minutes into a routine checkup, a doctor discovered a lump in my breast. At twenty-six years old, I was diagnosed with an advanced stage of breast cancer. I had to live with the fact that I may not live long enough to celebrate my first wedding anniversary or even open the last of my wedding gifts. I underwent a mastectomy that left me with a scar and a single breast. I endured six months of chemotherapy that left me exhausted and bald. I lost an ovary, which left me afraid that I would never have any children. I found myself in a place of uncertainty, unsure of my next step. I didn’t know much about cancer. I didn’t know how one gets cancer. My first lesson came from a Hollywood movie called “Dying Young”, starring Julia Roberts and Campbell Scott. Showed in 1991, it’s about a man with terminal cancer. I rewatched the chemotherapy scene several times, taking mental notes. Spoiler alert: it wasn’t the brightest idea, and it was the farthest thing from real life! A cancer diagnosis is ugly, yes, but it also sparks a beautiful ripple effect. Family, friends, and fellow survivors come together to offer support, making the journey easier. The idea of the ICanServe Foundation began in a coffee shop in 1999, the year I was diagnosed. Four breast cancer survivors- each at different points in our own journeys – came together. We differed in ages; in stages, but united by a shared belief that no breast cancer survivor should ever feel isolated, ashamed, or uninformed.
Over the years, our group grew steadily. We organized cancer forums, published a resource guide, hosted numerous fundraisers, staged art, fashion, and food fairs, and provided support and guidance to those who needed it.
In 2020, as it became apparent that the pandemic would keep us indoors and prevent us from holding our in-person early detection initiatives, we found ourselves in uncharted territory. The pandemic kept us in the dark, but we remained adamant that women didn’t need to be. We were faced with a dilemma: How can we equip women with life-saving information? How can we remind them of the importance of early detection, especially during the nationwide shutdowns? We created and distributed Kamay Gabay Kits to barangays across the nation. It was a resource guide in English, Filipino, and Cebuano that covered the basics of breast cancer, debunked myths and facts, and provided an illustrated step-by-step guide on how to conduct a proper breast self-exam. The kit came accessorized with a bag charm that featured beads representing the different breast size lumps (to scale) found in those who performed regular breast self-exams, compared to those who had themselves checked by medical practitioners, and even those who had never checked. It served as a visual reminder, and we hope we were able to help, despite the pandemic’s constraints.
Today, the foundation proudly celebrates 25 years of unwavering commitment to delivering hope and help to those impacted by breast cancer. We believe early detection continues to be our most potent weapon in the battle against breast cancer. We focus on promoting programs within local communities. We have since evolved to support and train patient navigators, recognizing their critical role in improving outcomes.
I can hardly take credit for the foundation’s accomplishments. I have been blessed with a sisterhood of dedicated fellow survivors who share our vision and work tirelessly to bring our mission to life.
I did open my wedding gifts and celebrated not only my first wedding anniversary but also my twenty-sixth. After completing all my treatments, I surprised even my doctors by giving birth to twin boys. Another miraculous surprise arrived during my silver Velada year—I had another baby!
AAA: There is a quote from St. Marie Eugenie and it goes like this: “Transform everything into praise and thanksgiving.” It is very apt to your own life story. What does this quote mean to you now, 25 years into your journey with ICanServe — and nearly as long as a breast cancer survivor? What moments have moved you most to give thanks—especially the quiet or unexpected ones?
Crisann: Cancer taught me that I can’t control everything. I had to learn how to find balance, and for someone like me, who is a bit of a control freak, that was humbling. Through the foundation and my journey, I was given a voice – one filled with hope, resilience, and praise.
I am thankful for my birthday year after year. I remember not knowing if I would have another.
Celebrating Mother’s Day is always extra special. I remember not knowing if I would ever be a mother.
I never had a sister and always wished I had one. Today, because of ICanServe, I have hundreds of “sisters”.
Cancer strips away the noise. You learn to cherish every moment, no matter how small.
I have learned to be thankful for all that cancer has given me – good and bad. It has been my greatest teacher.
I remember Matteo, one of my twin sons, attending a birthday party when he was about nine years old and lining up in the temporary tattoo booth. All the other boys got superhero stickers and cars. He proudly came back with a pink ribbon, the universal symbol for breast cancer, on his arm for me. In high school, my other son, Mikael, developed a free, mobile health application to provide educational and medical resources for those diagnosed with breast cancer. My sons were born after all my treatment, and yet, cancer touched them, too, in the best way.
How can one not be thankful for that?
AAA: In co-founding ICanServe, you transformed a personal diagnosis into something far greater. How did you find the strength to respond to that season of fear with purpose and hope?
Crisann: After the initial “why me” questions, I began to ask, “What for? What now?”. There had to be a deeper purpose behind all of this. It didn’t happen immediately, and I wish I could say that I was strong throughout the entire process, but I wasn’t.
I knew I couldn’t face it alone, and I didn’t even try. I learned firsthand that sometimes being strong means asking for help and, ironically, that admitting you aren’t strong was enough at that moment.
I leaned on family and friends, and especially on others who had been on their cancer journeys.
I leaned on my faith. My constant prayer was, “Please don’t let this cancer be wasted on me.”
AAA: What role does gratitude play in your leadership at ICanServe today, especially when working with women, who are newly diagnosed or in treatment?
Crisann: A grateful heart keeps things real and helps me stay grounded. It enables me to connect with others and share my story. While I know it won’t be an easy road, I need other survivors to know that there are valuable lessons to be learned along the way and that they are hardly alone. I want them to find the courage and say, “I can do this too.”
When I was first diagnosed with cancer, connecting with other survivors felt like I was being thrown a lifeline. I will never forget that experience.
AAA: How do you carry thanksgiving into your day-to-day life – as a wife, a mother, a friend? Are there small rituals or reminders that help keep your heart open?
Crisann: Somebody told me that ending each day with gratitude is one of the best practices. Best advice ever! I take a moment to reflect on my day before I sleep and acknowledge the things for which I am thankful.
Every day is an opportunity to say ‘Thank You,’ and never take things for granted. I hope that my boys will always embrace this practice too.
AAA: What has breast cancer taught you about celebrating ordinary moments – meals, laughter, morning light?
Crisann: Cancer taught me to cherish both the ordinary and the extraordinary and to celebrate small victories.
Laughter keeps us sane, and we could all use a little more of it. Every few years, ICanServe organizes “Silver Linings,” an educational forum for survivors from all over the country. At one such event, we held a laughter yoga session. Imagine a whole room full of a thousand survivors laughing when we could have easily been crying about our struggles. How beautiful and powerful that was! It felt as if we were laughing back at cancer, saying, “You can’t take this away from us.”
AAA: As you meet more survivors, what do you notice about how women reclaim joy after illness? How does ICanServe help make space for that joy?
Crisann: More than just reclaiming joy, we learn to redefine it in light of our new normal.
Someone once joked that we laughed and ate so much at our table that they couldn’t believe we were breast cancer survivors. I consider that quite the compliment.
While we take things seriously when necessary, we also know how to find joy in life. We begin and conclude our events with songs and dances. We make sure our activities are both fun and meaningful. Every annual gathering ends with everyone dancing and singing (or more like bouncing and screaming!) along to Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive.” The amount of joy in that room is so palpable. It’s truly unbelievable.
AAA: St. Marie Eugénie encouraged transforming even suffering into praise. How has your Assumption formation influenced your ability to see grace even in painful experiences?
Crisann: When I look back on my years at Assumption, I realize now that there was so much more than just Maths, Sciences, English, and Social Studies Classes. I was being handed quiet truths that would one day anchor me through life’s difficult moments.
It wasn’t until later in life that St. Marie Eugenie’s nuggets of wisdom, as expressed in her words and all that we learned from her, fully resonated with me. But, as they say, all in good time. Her teachings were lifelines in themselves. I didn’t recognize them immediately, but they were right there, right when I needed them most. As a cancer advocate, her teachings taught me that our wounds are not to be hidden, but instead offered. When I stopped trying to control everything and began to trust and start believing, little by little, that there was a greater purpose at work, I made room for grace.
AAA: Looking forward, how do you hope to continue living a life of thanksgiving—through ICanServe, through family, and through faith?
Crisann: I want to continue using my voice and sharing my journey to spread awareness for as long as I can.
I want Mik, Teo, Xandro, and Migs to know that they’re all part of something miraculous, part of a bigger plan, and that every single moment is a gift.
I want to keep giving glory, so that my prayer remains constant – that cancer is never wasted on me.
I want to continue celebrating my scars and missing parts because they’re a constant reminder that I am still here for a purpose. I’m still here to serve.
How both inspiring and moving! Hearing her story (and many others) always reminds me to be grateful.
Thank you for sharing AND SERVING!