Image: Instagram/@moirarachelle
One fan left a mark on Moira Dela Torre after they encountered one another during a movie screening last Aug. 31.
The singer known for her airy voice and “hugot” songs gave a shoutout to Rica Joyce De Guzman last Sept. 5 on Twitter, sharing a fan’s post of their encounter where De Guzman is seen hugging her while in tears.
The two first met at a block screening of “The Hows of Us” last Aug. 31
“This woman right here. Watched & lined up just to meet me so she could tell me I inspired her when she was due for chemo the very next day as if she had no pain at all,” said Dela Torre.
“@ricaavery [Rica] you inspire me more than you know. So brave & so beautiful. I love you. So thankful for your life.”
This woman right here. Watched & lined up just to meet me so she could tell me i inspired her when she was due for chemo the very next day as if she had no pain at all. @ricaavery you inspire me more than you know. So brave & so beautiful. I love you. So thankful for your life.🤗 https://t.co/K3xHoHzHKM
— Moira Dela Torre (@moiradelatorre) September 5, 2018
De Guzman, 18, has been diagnosed with lupus, an autoimmune disease where the body’s immune system attacks its own tissue and organs. Her treatment includes cycle chemotherapy and taking daily medications to avoid flares.
According to the original post by another Moira fan, Herdy Marzan, De Guzman was already crying as she neared Dela Torre.
“I told her she inspired me. I was crying like a baby!” De Guzman recounted to INQUIRER.net. “I told her she saved me as well. Then she hugged me, prayed for me and told me that I got this.”
“I’m just crying right now because I don’t know how to express the happiness I’m feeling,” she said of her reaction after seeing Dela Torre’s tweet.
De Guzman, who works as a customer service representative, admitted that having an incurable disease has been an uphill battle.
“You have to deal with depression, anxiety, joint pains and many more [illnesses] that even [you get confused about] finding out what really is happening to your body,” she said.
At one point last year, she got depressed after losing her hair to chemotherapy. It was Dela Torre’s covers of Christian songs, especially “What a Beautiful Name It Is” that helped give her hope.
“When I’m feeling down, I just play that song and remember what a beautiful name Jesus is,” she said.
She first discovered Dela Torre’s music in the 2016 movie “Camp Sawi”: “The song ‘Malaya’ was on fire.”
“What makes me a fan of her music is how she delivers the song. I really feel the emotions and the meaning of it,” she explained.
Her favorite song is “Tagpuan”: “The music video is just so meaningful, and also the lyrics of course.” The video is known as the one where Dela Torre got engaged to boyfriend Jason Hernandez.
To others with lupus, she advises them to find the reason to keep fighting. “We all know how strong we are… I know it’s hard, but just pray,” she said.
“I may have lupus but lupus doesn’t have me,” De Guzman added. “This positive mindset was given by God. Ate Moira just made me realize that I have God so I can say that she really is a big part of my recovery.”
Her message to the singer: “You deserve all the love that you have now, how pure your heart is is what makes you the prettiest inside and out. I will always be your fan, I love you!” JB
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