“My Illness Didn’t Defeat Me—It Fueled My Poetry.”
What I Learned After Speaking with Dorcas Poloczek y Reyes
Some interviews feel formal. Others feel personal. My conversation with Dorie Reyes Polo, formally Dorcas Poloczek y Reyes, felt like the second kind. What began as a simple discussion about poetry and her life gradually unfolded into something richer—a story shaped by service, cultural identity, illness, faith, community leadership, and creative renewal.
Before speaking with her, I knew of her as a Filipino poet based in Germany who had received recognition in literary and community circles. After speaking with her, I understood something more important: her poetry did not appear suddenly. It grew from decades of lived experience.
Her story is not built around a single achievement. It is made up of many chapters that naturally connect to one another.
And perhaps no sentence captures that journey more clearly than the words she shared with me:
“My illness didn’t defeat me—it fueled my poetry.”
Carrying the Philippines Wherever She Went
One of the first things that stood out in our conversation was how deeply she values being Filipino.
She told me that as early as 1978, she was already active in cultural programs at the Philippine Center in Cologne, Germany. Through folk dance and community presentations, she participated in efforts to preserve Filipino traditions among Filipinos living abroad.
Then in 1979, she joined the Bundesgartenschau in Bonn, West Germany, where different countries were invited to present their culture. She was there with her team representing the Philippines.
As she described those memories, I could sense that these experiences were more than performances. They were early expressions of identity.
Some people move abroad and slowly lose connection with where they came from. With Dorie, it seemed the opposite happened. Living overseas strengthened her desire to carry Filipino culture with her.
That feeling has remained present throughout her life.
Service Through Community and Women’s Leadership
Another important part of her story is her long involvement with Filipino organizations in Europe.
She shared that she became an active member of Babaylan Germany (Philippine Women’s Forum e.V.), based in Cologne, Germany—an organization dedicated to supporting Filipino women and families while preserving Filipino culture and solidarity among overseas communities.
Through the organization, she participated in programs centered on empowerment, mutual support, community engagement, and the welfare of Filipinos navigating life abroad.
As she spoke about this chapter, it became clear that service to others was never separate from her identity.
She later expanded this commitment through the European Network of Filipino Diaspora (ENFID), where she served in several capacities over the years, including:
Treasurer
Auditor
Board Director
Director of ENFID Germany
She also served as Internal Auditor of PHILNETZ e.V. (Philippinisches Diaspora Netzwerk) from 2015 to 2016.
What stayed with me was not the titles themselves, but the consistency behind them. Whether through healthcare, culture, or community work, she has long been someone willing to contribute.
A Life in Healthcare
Before poetry became widely associated with her name, Dorie had already spent many years in healthcare.
She studied midwifery and nursing, and later built her professional life in Germany. Her work included nursing roles in demanding environments, eventually involving wound care, palliative care, and oncology-related responsibilities.
When she spoke about those years, she did not present them dramatically. She spoke with the calmness of someone who simply did what needed to be done.
Still, it was clear to me that healthcare shaped her deeply.
Anyone who spends years caring for others during illness learns certain things about life—how fragile people can be, how strong they can be, and how much comfort matters in difficult moments.
Listening to her, I could understand why her poetry carries emotional depth. It came from years of witnessing humanity closely.
The Chapter That Changed Her Life
In 2019, Dorie was diagnosed with breast cancer.
When this part of our conversation came up, her tone remained steady. She described herself as strong and determined to face what came next.
There was no attempt to dramatize the experience. She simply spoke about it as a difficult chapter that had to be lived through.
Then she told me something that became the emotional center of our discussion.
During her first chemotherapy session in January 2020, she began writing again.
Not for attention. Not for publication.
She said writing helped her release the burdens in her heart.
That detail stayed with me because it felt so honest. Poetry, in that moment, was not ambition. It was a form of steadiness.
Some people turn to silence during hardship. She turned to language.
When Writing Became Necessary
As she continued talking, I realized that her return to poetry was not separate from her illness—it was shaped by it.
Writing became a way to process fear, uncertainty, gratitude, and faith. It gave form to emotions that were otherwise difficult to hold.
During treatment, she also became active in several literary communities, including Pentasi B, Filipino Poets in Blossoms, Own A Poem, Bigkis ng Panitik, Passion of Poetry, and Kapanulat.
She joined writing activities, contests, and collaborative projects. She mentioned recognitions she received, but what seemed more meaningful was the sense of movement these communities gave her.
Even while going through treatment, she kept creating.
That says a lot about a person.
Her Books and the Life Behind Them
From that season emerged her first book:
Tala at Tula: Stars and Poems
(Mga Akdang Dinalisay ng mga Karanasan sa Buhay)
As she described it, the collection reflects life experience, personal struggle, faith, and lessons gathered through the years. Knowing the context behind the book made the title feel more meaningful. It was not simply a collection of poems—it was a record of lived chapters.
Later came her second book:
Hibla ng mga Tula sa Anit ng Gunita
This work continues themes of memory, reflection, and identity. If the first book felt closely tied to survival and release, the second seemed to represent continuity and growth.
After hearing her speak, I came away with the sense that her books were not written to impress. They were written because certain experiences needed language.
Recognition Along the Way
Over time, Dorie’s work received recognition from literary groups, cultural organizations, and community institutions in Europe and the Philippines.
Among them are honors such as:
Asia Pacific Luminaire Award 2024 – Asia’s Most Outstanding Nationalistic Poet of the Year
Gintong Parangal Award – Woman of Influence
Artista Achievers Awards 2025 – Iconic Filipina of Literature and Arts
Outstanding Filipino Workers/Migrants in Europe
Woman of the Year 2023 – Rome, Italy
Various recognitions in Filipino poetry communities
Yet what struck me during our conversation was that awards did not seem to define how she viewed herself.
She spoke more about experiences than trophies, more about service than prestige, more about writing than recognition.
That perspective gave her story a certain groundedness.
What Stayed with Me Most
After our conversation ended, I found myself thinking less about any single accomplishment and more about the continuity of her life.
A Filipina preserving culture abroad.
A nurse caring for others.
A member of women’s and community organizations.
A community leader taking responsibility.
A woman facing illness with resolve.
A writer returning to poetry in a difficult season.
An artist continuing to create.
Each chapter seemed to lead naturally into the next.
Nothing felt forced.
Her poetry now makes sense to me not as a separate identity, but as the result of everything she has lived.
A Story Still Unfolding
What I appreciated most about speaking with Dorie Reyes Polo was the calm honesty with which she told her story.
There was no need to exaggerate pain or overstate success. She simply spoke as someone who has lived through many seasons and kept moving forward.
She continues to write, remain active in communities, and share her voice through literature.
And perhaps that is why the line she shared continues to stay with me:
“My illness didn’t defeat me—it fueled my poetry.”
After hearing her full journey, it no longer sounded like just a quote.
It sounded like the truth of her life.
