Veteran Filipina actress Caridad Sanchez has dementia, his daughter revealed on social media.
Cathy Babao in her Instagram post said that her mother constantly battles with memory loss, and that she is “fading, day by day, week by week.”
“It is the most difficult challenge of my adult life, next to losing my son,” she said.
Babao revealed how her mother battles dementia in her recent blog titled “Still Mom,” and said that she used to hold back writing about her condition because of her prominent status.
“ But just like how it is with mental health conditions, we add to the stigma if we don’t write or speak up about it,” she added. “A wise friend who had gone on a similar journey told me this: ‘I suggest you write it, still. Your Mom’s a well-respected figure. No one will mock her for her dementia, your revelations about her going through it is sure to benefit more people.’”
According to the World Health Organization, dementia is when there is a deterioration in memory, thinking, behavior, as well as the capacity to perform daily activities.
Babao also recalled a conversation with her mother when she was young, wherein Sanchez said she wanted to portray an old woman battling memory loss, but has moments when she could remember pivotal moments in her life. According to her, the actress said: “Kahit walang bayad, gagawin ko iyang role na iyan.’”
“The ironies of life. One must really be careful of what one wishes for. At this point I don’t know whether I should be grateful that she’s now unknowingly, portraying the dream role she had hoped for many years ago. Perhaps it will help in the coping, if I reframe things this way. Should I think of it as an answered prayer?” the daughter added.
