NEWSFLASH

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SHARON: COPING WITH MISCARRIAGE

Manila, Sept. 28, 1998 - Reprinted with permission from the MIRROR Magazine (Sept. 28 issue)
By Ruby Asoy

It was "my loneliest moment," said megastar Sharon Cuneta of her first miscarriage. She lost her second baby last August but she's still hoping and praying for another chance.

At the recent press launch for her new talk show, megastar Sharon Cuneta was a portrait of a woman devastated but courageous. She just had a second miscarriage, a traumatic experience for any woman. But she has not given up hope.

"I was in the hospital a couple of days ago (around August 26-27). I lost the baby," she announced pensively. "I'm a little weak up to now but well, I'm coping, because I always hang onto my faith and I never stop trusting God because I know He has better plans for me."

Sharon is counting her blessings and forcing herself to look at the brighter side of life.

"After that trying situation, I've learned to appreciate life more. It has strengthened my faith. I feel so blessed and whatever will happen to me, I'll b e fine because I've been given so much already," said Sharon.

That's an inspirational mouthful for all women who have suffered miscarriages.

Looking back at her first miscarriage, she said there seemed to be "no particular reason" for it. She described it as her "loneliest moment."

Strong-willed that she is, Sharon recovered and in no time she discovered that she was on the family way again. Upon her return to Manila at the end of their one-year stay in Boston, her fans, friends and loved ones cheered her on.

Sharon said that just like her first miscarriage, there was so particular reason for losing the second one.

"The doctor said that even if I took a rest, it would really happen." At any rate, Sharon is fighting on: "Talaga, 'pag pwede na, sige na uli. When I lost the first baby, three months after mayroon na ulit, shoot agad."

For the moment, however, she has been told to rest. "Kasi nagka-trauma na ako," she said.

But as they say, the show must go on. Despite what happened to her, Sharon pushed through with her hosting commitment on ABS-CBN 2.

When Sharon's staff learned about the incident, they asked her if she could still go on with the show. "Right away, I told them, I'd rather be doing something than just stay at home," she related. "When I have a problem, ayaw kong isipin. Kalokohan naman kung magmumukmuk ako."

So why is she working if she wants to have another baby?

Answered Sharon: "Actually this type of work is not as heavy as the work I used to do in my old TV show (TSCS). In fact, this one was designed to accommodate someone who's pregnant."

A doting mom, Sharon does not want her only daughter Kristina Cassandra (KC) to enter show business or to join her in the show, at least for the moment.

"I don't think it's such a good idea for her to join showbiz," said Sharon.

People say to her,'when you started in showbiz, you were also 12. Now, KC is 13, how come of all people you're the one to deprive her?'

"My response to that is: that's exactly why I don't want her to join showbiz. I'm making an educated decision because I went through it at that age. It's a whole lot different now from the way it was before when I was her age. Ngayon parang mas magulo, mas maraming bata, hindi ganoon ka-simple unlike before," she observes.

"I told KC, when I entered the business, I didn't know that I was going to give up my privacy for the rest of my life. So, if and when she makes a decision to enter the business, I'd like her to be old enough to understand. But she loves to sing, I don't' think she'll be interested in making movies. She plays instruments too and she's composing songs. Kanino kaya nagmana iyan? Siguro naman sa akin no?" Sharon proudly admits.

THE BOSTON EXPERIENCE Sharon has brought back many memories of her life in Boston. One particular incident that stands out in her mind is when she lost her first baby. It was her "loneliest moment," she said.

"When I had the first miscarriage, I thought of going back to the Philippines. Kasi 'yon na nga wala ang mommy ko, mga kaibigan namin. Doon, bahala ka sa buhay mo," she musses. "My husband wanted to go home. But then, we just enjoyed every minute of our stay there because we knew that we had only a year in Boston."

Experiencing how it was to be a whole family with husband Kiko and daughter KC made up the many happy moments of Sharon in Boston.

"In that special place we called home we had no one to turn to but each other. We were able to live normally and go to places where normal individuals go," she said. "I became a real mom and wife. The best time of our lives is the Boston experience."

"We became closer. In the future if we go through a crisis, which is inevitable, we have that bond that no one can break. We are strong already. It was good for the foundation of the marriage; it strengthened the family," said Sharon.

She said the freedom she experienced in Boston was wonderful " Hindi ka obligadong mag-ayos, magbihis. All of a sudden naramdaman ko 'yong normal na buhay. I relived my normal days na hindi ko na nagawa since nagartista ako. I also went back to school. I fell in love with Literature and Psychology; it helped me open my eyes to a new world. All I did was read and study. I also took up writing; I love writing. I'm a frustrated writer. (Sharon earned 16 units). That was like a preparation for my dream to go back to college and get a degree. And I also made some friends, mostly the wives of my husband's classmates."

The Boston experience was not without a price. "But I did miss a piece of my life here, specially during the second half of our stay in Boston. I missed my work here. There's no place like home."

She really missed her dad and mom, she said.

"But I didn't miss the traffic and the pollution," she added. "Up to this day, what makes me sad is that when I left the country, the economy was healthy, so was show business. Now, there's a little sadness though I know we'll get better."

Is there anything else she wants to achieve? "A fast metabolism and a very healthy baby," she laughed.

VILMA ON SHARON'S MISCARRIAGE When Sharon's miscarriage reached the press, many of her showbiz friends sympathized with her. One of them was Vilma Santos, the 'Star for All Seasons' and now mayor of Lipa City in Batangas.

Just like Sharon, Vilma experienced losing a baby. That's why she feels so much for Sharon. Vilma had an ectopic pregnancy ( a fertilized egg which lodges in the Fallopian tube instead of the uterus) which resulted in miscarriage.

"I felt very sad when I heard that Sharon had another miscarriage," said Vilma.

"I know the pain and the anxiety she's been through. She must not be allowed to be left alone these days," she advised.

Vilma recalled how she felt losing a baby. "When I learned that I was positive, I took a rest, even to the point of renting a condominium unit near my home. I was also confined in a hospital for quite some tine, and had to stay home for the duration of my pregnancy, just to make sure the baby in my womb is safe."

Vilma now has a robust two-year-old son, Ryan Christian, with husband Ralph Recto, a Batangas congressman. Her other son is 17-year-old Luis Phillip by her first marriage to Edu Manzano, now vice-mayor of Makati.

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