“Please forward to Alwin,” this was the special lambing (request) of Kris Aquino to seasoned journalist Kuya Dindo Balares.  As I wrote in my 16th May The Diva View column billed “Why We Miss Kris Aquino,” it has been a habit to share columns about her to Kuya Dindo. The feature went to the same route, and to my surprise and delight, she wrote and informed me the freshest updates about her life.

Brutally honest

Firstly, she wrote: “Thank you Alwin for the beautiful article,” then she disclosed a heart-tugging reality of not having the capability to return as a TV host in particular, and show business in general: “As you said, I’m brutally honest. Unfortunately for me, going back to the only job I’ve loved and really know how to do is now an ‘impossible dream’ because strong lights, the heat, and being out for a prolonged period of time can really make my body react in several very scary ways.”

She continued: “My blood pressure and heart rate shoot up, breathing becomes difficult (Bimb and I were Covid long haulers because we’re both immuno-compromised — in 2022 I had four autoimmune conditions, I now have five (unreal, right?) and Bimb has asthma. It took us two months to become PCR negative and in my chest X rays there’s visible scarring in my right lung), and the dreaded butterfly rash on my face comes out.”

“Humina na talaga ang stamina ko (my stamina weakened),” Aquino carried on. “And the people who help take care of me all say they aren’t used to a soft-spoken Kris — but that’s the truth — I have trouble speaking with a TV anchor’s tone because just to talk is now exhausting. Plus all my maintenance medication have made me even more lampa (frail).”

Latest health condition

“Contrary to what I’ve read recently, I’m back to being skinny,” wrote Kris. “After my bout with shingles, my weight dropped again to 91 pounds (with clothes and shoes on ). I was already starting to cook again and slowly regaining my appetite BUT I lost all I had gained because I battled a bad strain of shingles. Hindi ko na alam (I don’t know) what’s worse, being bedridden for more than one week because of the unendurable headache in just one side (for me it was the left side) of my head and the all over worse than the flu body aches; or the feeling that you just survived a car accident and the car you were in flipped over several times — because that’s how I felt for five days after getting my first shingles vaccine (there’s a follow-up booster).”

Petite is the politically correct word

A light and endearing part of Kris’ sharing: “In your article you took note of how fair I was, I think you said I was practically luminous? It made me giggle because even here in LA, my American doctor tries his best to be politically correct but he says to me all the time — it shocks me that you’re even fairer than the paper on your chart but I must say it’s obvious you haven’t had any work done on your face BUT you have absolutely no wrinkles considering your weight loss; and your two sons who are both so tall — how someone as petite as you could be the mom of these two boys who are VERY tall.”

She furthered: “Sa atin very casual, kayang sabihin na ‘sobrang payat mo na, liliparin ka na ng hangin’ (To us, it’s very casual. People can say that ‘you’re so thin, the wind will blow you away). BUT here (at least in UCLA) they say PETITE.”