By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
A horse owner with a big heart has lent a helping hand to track legend Lydia de Vega-Mercado, who is battling Stage 4 breast cancer.
Philracom Chairman Reli De Leon disclosed that the horse owner, who refused to be named, donated P500,000 financial assistance to Vega-Mercado, who has been courageously fighting cancer for four years now.
De Vega-Mercado’s daughter, Stephanie de Koenigswarter, received financial support, according to de Leon.
The Philracom chairman also added that some horse owners have also pitched in so they can help the two-time Asian sprint queen combat the dreaded disease.
Meanwhile, the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) has also given financial assistance to de Vega-Mercado’s family amounting to P500,000.
De Koenigswarter also received financial assistance and thanked the government agency for the support to their family.
De Vega Mercado is one of the country’s sports icons, being hailed as Asia’s fastest woman twice, first during the 1982 New delhi Games and repeated it four years leader in Seoul Games.
She competed in the 1984 Los Angeles and 1988 Seoul Olympics.
She first made an impact during the 1981 SEA Games held in Manila that saw her win golds in the 200 and 400-meter events exceeding records sets at the Asian Games.
