From left: Kiana, Gab, Angeli, Gary and Paolo Valenciano with Sam Godinez-Valenciano
As he recovers from heart surgery, Gary Valenciano assured fans that there was nothing to worry about—he has a gifted team of doctors that takes care of him.
“Don’t worry, please; just pray,” the 53-year-old singer wrote in a letter before undergoing a coronary bypass surgery last Sunday. “Should I remain silent, it’s probably because I’ll be recuperating and building up my strength.”
Gary is keeping the faith, saying God has yet to let him down. “I believe in my God, who restores, heals and rescues,” stressed Gary, who’s “doing very well” at an undisclosed hospital, according to his wife, Angeli Pangilinan.
“I couldn’t help it—I broke down upon seeing him in so much pain in the recovery room,” Angeli said.
Tell-tale signs of his heart problem had been manifesting for quite some time. The music artist—dubbed “Mr. Pure Energy”—had always been active, despite having to live with Type 1 diabetes. But lately, he had been feeling “tired” and “sleepy,” even after a full rest.
Then, after celebrating his 35th show biz anniversary with a dance performance with son Gab in the noontime show “Asap” two weeks ago, he started to experience chest pains.
Subsequent tests showed that his heart’s left anterior descending artery was “95 percent blocked” and had “very thin walls, because of diabetes.”
“To some, it may have looked like [I was doing] routine movement. But that performance is one I won’t ever forget. After that dance, I felt a sensation I had never felt before—not even when I’d push myself or ride my mountain bike on the trails for extended periods of time,” he related.
“The chest pains confirmed that something was wrong,” Gary said. “I’m thankful I didn’t wait too long to take the necessary tests.”
Gary felt that his life would never be the same from this point on. Still, he knows that he will be back soon, doing the things he loves most. “I will give my all on that stage again, and perhaps even stronger than ever before,” he said.