Anthony Taberna (left) with his daughter Zoey (center) and wife, Rossel (right). Image: Instagram/@iamtunying28
Renowned broadcaster Anthony Taberna opened up on his heartache after seeing his young daughter go bald as she undergoes chemotherapy for leukemia.
Taberna, who shared a photo of a smiling Zoey who had just gotten her head shaved, noted that he did not expect his daughter to allow him to post it in public.
“Nakangiti siya pero alam kong durog na durog ang puso niya nung nag umpisang malugas ang kaniyang buhok dahil sa chemotherapy,” he said of the photo posted on Instagram yesterday, Dec. 2.
(She is smiling but I knew her heart was breaking when her hair started falling off due to chemotherapy.)
“Nung pumayag si Zoey na magpakalbo at nalaman kong papunta na sa ospital ang misis ko kasama si Ate Tet, umalis na muna ako. Akala ko ay malakas na ako. Marupok pala,” the doting father added.
(When Zoey agreed to have her head shaved and when I found out that my wife was on the way to the hospital with Ate Tet, I left for a while. I thought I was strong enough. It turns out that I was weak.)
“May video habang kinakalbo si Zoey. At tuwing makikita ko iyon, hindi ko [mapigil] ang pagpatak ng aking luha. Ang wala o maikling buhok ang isa sa dahilan ng insecurity ni Zoey,” Taberna said.
(There is a video of Zoey having her head shaved. Every time I see that, I cannot stop my tears from falling. Having short or no hair is one of the reasons for Zoey’s insecurity.)
“Pero nung makita kong ipinost niya, nagpaalam ako na ipo-post ko rin. Hanga ako sa tapang ng aming panganay. I love you, Zoey,” he added.
(But when I saw her post this, I asked for her permission to post it as well. I admire our eldest child’s courage. I love you, Zoey.)
Taberna also directed followers to read about Zoey’s account of her journey in battling leukemia, which she likewise posted on Instagram yesterday.
“[One] year ago today, [I] was rushed to the hospital at [2 a.m.] because [I] couldn’t walk and my legs were so painful. [We] had no idea what was happening to me,” Zoey recalled.
“[At] first, we thought [I] had a problem with my bones. but after running multiple tests, [I] was diagnosed with bone marrow disease, which ended up to be leukemia,” she added.
“[I] was very scared. [Just] the word ‘leukemia’ itself made me so afraid. [Especially] since [I] had to undergo chemotherapy. [I] needed to chop off all my hair. [And] that made me very insecure and sad all the time,” Zoey shared.
While she admitted that she thought her life “would already end there,” Zoey noted that she “stayed strong and did my best.”
Taberna shared that Zoey was 11 years old then when she was diagnosed with bone marrow disease, which they later found out was leukemia. NVG
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