Cathy Babao, con gái của nữ diễn viên kỳ cựu Caridad Sanchez, đã bày tỏ cảm xúc này sau khi cô tiết lộ trên mạng xã hội rằng biểu tượng điện ảnh được yêu mến này đang mắc chứng mất trí nhớ.

Sanchez, who turned 87 last August, was first diagnosed in late 2015, according to Babao.

“She remains physically strong. There are good and bad days pero paulit-ulit siya,” she related to ABS-CBN News Friday, citing the pattern of forgetting and repeating herself.

Anticipatory grief is how Babao calls her current emotion. “It’s a long goodbye. Overtime, you slowly lose the person. You just prepare for it. ”

The irony is not lost on Babao, an eminent grief counselor and educator, who transformed the loss of her 4-year-old son Migi in 1998 to heart disease into a lifelong service of easing the pain of other people who lost their loved ones.

Babao has had her own realization — more than the fear and ignorance of other people on the issue, the moral thing to do she says is to speak about it to provide a light for others going through similar pain.

Above all, she cites the importance of rising above the stigma of the disease.

“Why keep it a secret? Hindi naman nakakahiya if we can help others with their journey. I know there are other families going through it but who don’t speak about it. Kaya nga dapat may early detection, awareness and acceptance, so we can arm ourselves with the right information and access to right medicines and care. I believe my mom will be happy too knowing she was somehow able to help,” she said.

The stream of comments and reactions to her revelation has been overwhelming. “Both heartbreaking and heartwarming,” she told us. “It took me a long time to write about it considering the stature of my mom but now that it’s been public, it has been liberating!”

Babao had previously posted this on Instagram to acknowledge and honor her feelings.

“Shortly after her diagnosis, I picked up the book, ‘Still Alice’ by Lisa Genova in an attempt to better understand what was to come. Tears streamed down my cheeks as I read the last few paragraphs.

“You’re so beautiful,’ said Alice. ‘I’m afraid of looking at you and not knowing who you are.’

“I think that even if you don’t know who I am someday, you’ll still know that I love you.

“What if I see you, and I don’t know that you’re my daughter, and I don’t know that you love me?

“Then, I’ll tell you that I do, and you’ll believe me.

“And this, is why I write.”

“Today I was thinking how when my dad suddenly died at age 49 from a heart attack, I didn’t get to have the chance to say goodbye.

“To say all the things I wanted to tell him, to tell him what a great dad he was, and how grateful I was for everything that he had taught me and done for me. I’ve done that countless times through the years through my writing, in my head, and in prayer.

Vậy nên giờ đây, có lẽ Cha đang cho tôi cơ hội tạm biệt mẹ thật lâu. Để nói tất cả những điều tôi cần nói, để chăm sóc và yêu thương mẹ. Suy nghĩ đó phần nào an ủi tôi. Bởi vì trong suốt thời gian tạm biệt dài đằng đẵng này, dù biết rằng mẹ sẽ không còn nhớ đến tôi nữa, tôi vẫn hy vọng mẹ sẽ tiếp tục cảm nhận được sự chăm sóc và yêu thương. Suy cho cùng, trái tim luôn thấu hiểu và không bao giờ quên.

Babao tiếp tục ghi lại hành trình của mẹ mình trong #caringchronicles #thelonggoodbye. Tháng 10 được công bố là Tháng Sức khỏe Tâm thần Quốc gia, cô tiếp tục làm việc tại nhà, tổ chức các hội thảo trực tuyến về huấn luyện và tư vấn vượt qua nỗi đau. Cô cũng dẫn chương trình YouTube của riêng mình vào các ngày thứ Sáu, “Conversations with Cathy”.

Hy vọng rằng lời tạm biệt dài của cô với Caridad Sanchez sẽ tràn ngập những kỷ niệm khó quên giữa hai mẹ con.