Bianca Umali was teary-eyed as she recounted the painful story of her childhood.  

In her recent guesting at Dani Barreto’s The Bare It All Podcast, the Sparkle artist revealed for the first time that she personally witnessed how both of her parents breathed their last.  

Bianca’s story of losing his mom when she was five years old is known by many as she dedicates her breast cancer awareness initiatives for her.  

“I was in the hospital room when she had her last breath. So, like na-kuwento ko, my mom had two daughters before me and kaming tatlo na mga anak niya ang mga naiwan [doon],” she recalled, talking about her last moments with her mom. 

“We were there with her noong last breath niya. And I have flashes of memories with my last moments sa kanya. Hindi na siya din gaanong nakakasalita noon because my mom was so weak because of chemo. She couldn’t stand up to pee on her own anymore, she couldn’t even talk,” she added.  

Bianca further revealed that five years later, during her mom’s birthday, she also lost her father to a heart attack.  

“(When) we were bringing him out, isasakay na namin siya sa car... ‘pag sakay ng dad ko sa front seat siya, nasakay na niya yung left part ng body niya, nag-freeze na siya, hindi na niya naangat yung kabila. And then he started having his stroke na, he couldn’t breathe anymore,” she narrated.  

“We rushed him to the hospital, and pagdating namin,  like isang U-turn nalang, he peed na. ‘Yun na ‘yung sign na the person has passed away na. He was dead on arrival. But the whole time na we were on the way to the hospital, it was so clear to me that he was looking at me and he was crying, but then he couldn’t breathe,” she added.  

The young Bianca was not fully aware of how her life would change after losing her parents, she admitted.  

“Hindi ko pa narerealize ‘yung gravity of the situation noong time na ‘yun na wala na sila parehas. I [did not] understand and everything was so fast,” she said. 

Although the actress also has her what if’s and what could’ve beens, she is still grateful for the life she has now. 

“To be in the situation that I am in, I don’t see it sad anymore. I see it more as a strength now,” she said. 

She added, “God wouldn’t put me here if he knows that I couldn’t.”

By Clarence Gillego