Singer April Boy Regino would have lost in his battle with prostate cancer in 2009 if not for his wife Madel, who became his pillar of strength.
“He got very depressed when he was diagnosed,” Madel told Inquirer. “He stopped eating and refused all conventional treatments. He was reduced to skin and bones. He kept saying, ‘If I must die, then so be it.’”
April Boy was the leader of the April Boys trio, which was very popular in the 1990s. The singer-songwriter churned out hit novelty songs like “Paano ang Puso Ko,” “Umiiyak na Puso” and “Ye Ye Vonnel” until he and his family migrated to Las Vegas, Nevada, in 2004.
Madel said April Boy did not heed his doctor’s suggestion for a biopsy. She added that her husband is also diabetic and hypertensive.
“My children (John Christian, 22, and Charmeine, 20) and I couldn’t accept that we were losing him; he was only 48,” recalled Madel. “He used to be very pious but, at that time, he questioned God. On the other hand, I always thought he’d recover.”
No insurance
Madel said the illness put a strain on their finances. “He doesn’t have medical insurance; his application was disapproved because of his diabetes and hypertension,” she explained.
April Boy sought medical aid from the US government (they are immigrants). “We lined up at welfare services at 4 a.m. and were called at 5:30 p.m. It was very cold. I felt like crying.”
April Boy refused to go back to Manila and let everyone know what he was going through, Madel said. “We had been away five years; it was hard to convince him to come home,” she said. “He agreed only when I told him that, before he died, he should help JC (John Christian) fulfill his own dream of becoming a singer.”
When the Reginos arrived home in January 2010, Madel’s brother Joel introduced April Boy to a brand of health capsules made of pure barley. She recounted: “I didn’t believe in alternative medicine. But at that point we had nothing to lose.”
Now she believes that was what saved her husband’s life. “Three days after he started taking Sante capsules, the constant pain in his stomach was gone. Three months later, his sugar level and blood pressure had normalized. Now doctors say his condition is normal. He has even regained his weight.”
She’s aware of the ongoing debate about alternative medicine, Madel said. “We’re just really happy to tell people how we think he was healed. And April Boy is just really thankful for this new lease on life.”
April Boy will have a thanksgiving concert November 26 at the Marikina Sports Center, featuring his son JC and guests Lito Camo, Ciara Sotto, Jan Marini, Justin Pinon, JZE Band, Basagan na Band, Instinct Band and Manny Pacquiao. “Ang Pasasalamat!” from Idol Productions, will of course star April Boy, who turned 50 in April.