Remembering Mercy Sunot: Her career with Aegis and battle with cancer

Iconic Aegis vocalist Mercy Sunot passed away on November 18 after a battle with cancer, leaving a legacy on OPM rock.

"Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho" paid tribute to Mercy in their latest episode. According to the report, Mercy's final performance was on November 9 at a show in California, USA, where she sang "Luha."

Fans mourned Mercy's sudden death and honored her on social media.

The beginnings of Aegis

Mercy hailed from Cagayan De Oro City in Mindanao. Her birit-style of singing was influenced by her mother Emma as she was growing up.

In 2014, the singer shared in an interview on "Tonight with Arnold Clavio" that she discovered her talent when she competed in amateur singing contests, where she would perform songs by jazz-pop singer, Shirley Bassey.

Back in 1995, Mercy and her siblings Ken and Juliet became lead vocalists in the band AG's Soundtrippers, who performed in clubs in Japan.

"Nag-umpisa kami talagang grabe. Halos hindi kami kumakain," Juliet said on the podcast "Paco's Place."

["We had a tough start.There were times we barely had anything to eat."]

"'Yung pera namin magkano lang naman. Mauubos lang din, padala, promote. Noong unang-una kami nag-US, talagang nagbibigay kami ng flyers," she added.

["Our funds were very limited. Most of it went toward remittances and promotions. When we first traveled to the US, we had to hand out flyers."]

Mercy and Juliet shared their initial struggles, recalling how people doubted them and feared for their families' future if their music failed.

So in 1997, the siblings returned to the Philippines to try to pursue their careers. They introduced themselves as Aegis and released their first album, "Halik."

It became a quadruple-platinum hit, with Filipinos amazed at the vocalists' high and steady voices.

With Aegis' continued success, they were invited to perform abroad, and their songs were even turned into a musical, "Rak of Aegis."

Mercy's health battles

After a long hiatus from music, Mercy connected with fans on social media, where she later revealed her battle with breast cancer.

Mercy shared her health struggles with her fan-turned-close friend Nemia, who urged her to see a doctor after discovering a lump in her breast.

"Ayaw niyang magpagamot sa Pilipinas. Sabi niya, 'Kung magpapagamot ako, gusto ko dito sa Amerika, Ate,'" Nemia said.

["She didn't want to be treated in the Philippines. She said, 'If I'm going to get treated, I want to do it here in America, Ate.'"]

Nemia said she told Mercy that they would help her fix her visa. Along with friends Irene and Donnie, they treated Mercy like family while helping her secure health insurance during her nine-month stay in the US.

Health tests revealed that, aside from breast cancer, Mercy had other forms of cancer in different parts of her body.

Treatments

Nemia shared that Mercy received daily treatment for her lungs and was given hope throughout her battle. After five months of treatment in the US, Mercy showed improvement, with her bones cleared following radiation and her cough disappearing after taking medication for her lungs.

Days later, Mercy and Donnie attended a show where the audience, upon seeing her, requested that Mercy perform.

"Kaya mahal na mahal siya ng tao. Hindi siya tatanggi," Donnie said. "Masigla siya, parang wala siyang iniindang sakit."

["People loved her so much because she never refused anyone. She was lively, as if she wasn't feeling any pain."]

Then on November 12, Mercy underwent an operation that yielded good results.

But after two days, the doctor called Nemia to say that Mercy's oxygen level was getting lower. Mercy was nervous but Nemia cheered her up and said, "Hindi, OK. Lumaban ka, OK ka lang."

["No, it's OK. Keep fighting, you're OK."]

Mercy updated her fans on TikTok that after her lung surgery, she experienced difficulty breathing and was transferred to the ICU due to lung inflammation, requesting prayers for her recovery.

Nemia also revealed that Mercy had to be intubated.

"Sabi nung doktor parang medyo nagre-resist si Mercy. So, pinakausap sa akin ng doktor si Mercy para i-encourage. Kasi ang wino-worry kasi ni Mercy is 'yung kanyang vocal cords or na baka ma-damage," Nemia said.

["The doctor said Mercy seemed to be resisting. They asked me to talk to her and encourage her. Mercy was concerned about the possibility of her vocal cords getting damaged."]

She told her friend, "Mercy, ang unahin muna natin diyan is 'yung oxygen level. Kung hindi, talagang mawawala ka, mamamatay ka. So pumayag na siya."

["Mercy, let's prioritize your oxygen level first. If not, you might not make it., You'll die. That's when she agreed."]

However, at around the same time, Mercy's kidney was failing and she needed to undergo dialysis. The doctor called Nemia to say that Mercy was already getting coded.

"Ang expect namin is susunduin namin siya para makauwi," Irene said. "Na-shock ako dahil pagpasok namin, pina-pump na siya."

["We were expecting to pick her up to take her home. I was shocked when we walked in and saw them already trying to resuscitate her. "]

The doctor told them that they revived Mercy because her heart stopped beating.

"Meron kang takot. Pero at the same time, hopeful ka na oh, mare-revive nila. Kasi alam namin na talagang pumasok siya dun OK naman siya eh," Irene said.

["You feel fear. But at the same time, you're hopeful that they can bring her back. We knew she went in there okay."]

At around 11:20, the doctor told their group that Mercy didn't make it. They all started crying.

"Ginigising ko siya, lahat from head to toe. Pinipisil ko ang balikat niya hanggang sa paa. Hihimas ko ang kanyang mukha niya at sabi ko, 'Mercy gumising ka. Hindi totoo 'to,'" Donnie said through tears.

["I tried waking her up. I squeezed her shoulder down to her feet. I stroked her face and said, 'Mercy, wake up. This isn't true.'"]

According to oncologist Dr. Jennifer Ann De Castro-Mercado, postoperative complications can happen up to one month after the surgery. These can be minor or fatal.

"Nahirapan huminga, nagkaroon din ng problem sa kanyang renal or kidneys. Mukhang napunta siya multi-organ failure," Dr. De Castro-Mercado said.

["She had difficulty breathing and developed issues with her kidneys, which seemed to lead to multi-organ failure."]

Bringing Mercy home

Nemia is working on bringing Mercy's body back home to the Philippines. The late singer is still at Stanford Hospital.

"'Yung pagpa-fly ng body niya, wala pa, kasi wala pa kami 'yung death certificate at saka kailangan pang ayusin sa Philippine Consulate," she said.

["The process of bringing her body back hasn't started yet because we don't have the death certificate, and we still need to coordinate with the Philippine Consulate."]

Mercy may be flown back by the first week of December, she added.

Donnie expressed gratitude for Mercy's love, beautiful voice, and music, assuring that she would never be forgotten and was deeply loved by all. —JCB, GMA Integrated News