Lessons from a stroke

Arlyn dela Cruz

ARLYN DELA CRUZ ART EXHIBIT / JANUARY 31, 2020
Recovering from a stroke last June of 2019, journalist and filmmaker Arlyn Dela Cruz turned to painting as part of her recovery and rehabilitation activities. Her first art exhibit dubbed as “HINDI AKO PINTOR” will run for a week at the Movida Fashion Food + Club in P. Burgos, Makati City.
INQUIRER PHOTO / RICHARD A. REYES

No to stress. This was the lesson that journalist-turned-indie filmmaker Arlyn dela Cruz-Bernal said she learned following her stroke in June 2019.

Eight months after her life-altering experience, Arlyn is now back at work as news director of dzIQ Radyo Inquirer. She has also recently organized the art exhibit “Hindi Ako Pintor,” featuring a number of her art pieces, some of which she made while recovering from the stroke. Currently on display at the Movida Fashion + Food Club along P. Burgos Street in Makati City are 16 of Arlyn’s paintings.

At the time of our interview, the news that the Philippines already has a confirmed 2019 novel coronavirus patient had been announced. “Before the stroke, you would already see me on the phone calling a hundred people and instructing them what to do. I would be asking, ‘What time did we break the story?’ or ‘Who broke it first?’”

She continued: “Look at me now. I realized that you can choose not to feel ngarag, after all. Just keep calm. You can still do your job well, only less ngarag.”

Arlyn said she started to get serious with painting in 2018, when she had to cope with “a personal problem.” She recalled: “I won’t say I experienced depression—because I believe you can choose not to be depressed over a situation. This was how I dealt with that problem—I painted and painted.”

Asked what she wanted to communicate with her art pieces, Arlyn said: “I want to say a lot of things, but if there’s one thing that I want my works to be remembered for, it’s the idea that you should not be afraid to face your problems head-on. Don’t get me wrong, fear is real in the same way as depression is real. If you encounter it, you have to have the ability to face it and overcome it.”

Painting had become a big part of her therapy and healing.

Arlyn was supposed to shoot the film “Ninang Corazon” with veteran actress Nora Aunor in July last year.

“I recently spoke with Ate Guy (Nora’s nickname) over the phone about it. She called me to know if I’d still push through with the project because she was really interested in it. I said I would, as soon as my doctor said I could go back to directing,” she explained.

There’s also the issue of finding more funds to produce the movie. “This is because the money that my producers allotted for the project has since been invested on something else,” she pointed out.

She added that another project, “That Day in Marawi,” with Arjo Atayde in the lead, is also in the offing.

These days, Arlyn is still taking medications. She has completed five months of physical therapy. While dealing with her current physical condition, Arlyn said she kept learning about herself.

“I learned that you should respect what your body is telling you,” she declared.

“During the first months after my stroke, there was this one moment when I really cried, maybe out of frustration. I just let myself cry for a long time—a combination of Nora and Vilma’s (Santos) acting,” she quipped.

“After that, I said, ‘I can’t allow this to defeat me!’”

To fully recuperate, Arlyn went back to Olongapo, her home province, “and stayed close to nature, close to the beach. I realized that what happened allowed me to finally take a break from work,” she recalled, adding that she also had to deal with her family, who had become overprotective of her as a result of the experience.

“I don’t want them to dote on me. I just want them to stay near me so I could call on them if I need them,” she stressed.

“Another lesson that can be learned from this experience is that there’s no one who can help you get well but yourself. It’s really up to you to be able to bounce back,” she said, laughing.