Hanging on the lifeline: Gary V’s silent battle

FILE: Away from the cheers of the crowd, the blinding lights of the stage, the ear-flooding beats of the speakers, Gary V spent these past months in solitude to take care of his health but not many know what life-threatening hurdles he had to not just dodge but conquer. (Photo: Gary Valenciano Official/Facebook)

Imagine settling on a hospital bed, inside the comforts of white blankets met by silence day by day, except with the knocking of your heart’s beating along with the electrocardiogram monitor’s beeping.

Away from the cheers of the crowd, the blinding lights of the stage, the ear-flooding beats of the speakers, Gary V spent these past months in solitude to take care of his health but not many know what life-threatening hurdles he had to not just dodge but conquer.

In an interview with ABS-CBN’s Rated K, Gary finally shared everything that he went through.

It is no secret that the 53-year-old all-out-performer is diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, which requires him to be injected with shots of insulin for life. But Gary continues to inspire and advocate for a healthy and disciplined lifestyle, after being a continuous fighter of his illness for years.

That was why, two weeks after celebrating his 35 years in the showbiz industry, when he revealed that he was going to undergo an open-heart surgery just before the said surgery, people were surprised especially since he was still attending to his performance and work commitments.

Similar to his statement on May 6, the evening of his surgery, Gary recalled the “painful sensation” he felt during his performance number in ASAP.

“Umpisa pa lang ng number naramdaman ko na parang sumisikip ang dibdib ko at parang may masakit na nararamdaman dito sa gitna habang nag-p-perform ako, lalong sumasakit (As my number started I already felt my chest tighten and I felt pain at the middle, it becomes more painful as I perform),” he said.

After his performance, he hugged his son Gab, who was also part of the number, and whispered, “Pray for me.”

Gary, however, did not stop from his activities due to his packed schedule for that week. But he decided to seek medical help, in which doctors found that there was a blockage in his main artery – which prompted him to undergo an operation.

As he recovered after the surgery’s success, Gary revealed that just to satisfy his curiosity, he asked his doctor how near he was from death.

“Sabi niya siguro isang talon na lang sa pagsayaw ko sa ASAP maaaring sumabog o pumutok ‘yung block na ‘yun at sabi niya kung sakaling pumutok man ‘yun, ‘di na raw ako aabot sa kung anumang ospital na malapit sa ABS-CBN (He said that just one leap in my dancing in ASAP, the block could have exploded and if it did, I would die even before I get to any hospital near ABS-CBN). That could have been enough [to kill me],” he narrated.

Feeling grateful the Lord, Mr. Pure Energy said that it really was the grace of God that saved him. In fact, despite suffering from diabetes that slows the healing of any injuries on his body, his surgical wounds were completely healed – to his doctors’ surprise.

What seemed like a miracle that called for a celebration seemed momentary when he had a muscle strain on his side, which made it hard for him to breathe. Examining the muscle strain led to the doctors finding another battle for Gary to fight.

“Gary, mukhang meron kang (it looks like you have) cancer of the kidney,” he recalled his doctor’s words, adding that it was “malignant.”

He sought another medical advice which required him to take different tests.

“Napatunayan na ‘di nag-spread ‘yung cancer na nandun lang talaga sa kidney, pero malaki (They found out that the cancer did not spread and it was only in the kidney, but it was big),” Gary continued.

According to him, there were no symptoms because the cancer was at a really early stage and it was only discovered by accident.

He said that 30 percent of the kidney was removed to ensure that no cancer cells will remain.

“Nakatanggap ako ng message sa doktor ka na cancer-free [ako]. Tsaka hindi na ko kailangan mag-therapy, chemotherapy, radio therapy, wala na (I received a message from my doctor that I was cancer-free. And that I did not need any therapy, like chemotherapy, radiotherapy, none),” Gary went on, smiling.

Gary’s spouse, Angeli Pangilinan, was positive that they would get through all these obstacles after she witnessed and addressed some seizures and other attacks for years. “Para sa’kin ‘di ako natakot, alam kong kaya namin ‘to (For me, I was not scared, I know that we could get through this),” she said.

A lifeline draws itself up and down to signify life but settles as a flat line when it ends. Similarly, for Gary, a person has to go through these ups and downs in life.

“Minsan kailangan talagang dumaan sa ganyang pagsubok ang tao para malaman ng tao na andyan lang ang Lord (Sometimes a person really has to go through these struggles for this person to realize that the Lord is just here),” he said.