Epcalm is a non profit organization that assists adults and the families of adults who are suffering from Leukemia and it is the main producer of the Understanding Grief 3 event. EPCALM is the acronym for Erwin Piedad Cabanag Adult Leukemia Memorial. Atty. Erwin P. Cabanag was City Fiscal of Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental, Philippines when he succumbed to leukemia on May 12, 2005 at the age of 45. At this time, the vision to build the first adult leukemia foundation in the Philippines was born, now known as the EPCALM Adult Leukemia Foundation of the Philippines, Inc.
Depression and grief is something that we do not always talk about especially here in the Philippines. However, there is an alarming number of teens who have a hard time of coping with grief and resort to self harm. For 3 years now, Epcalm has been mounting conferences on grief management, with speakers and facilitators coming from the US, sharing their knowledge, experience and skill in managing grief. We also have local celebrities who will be inspirational speakers.