Saab Magalona and her son Pancho. Image: Instagram/@saabmagalona
Saab Magalona disclosed how she blamed herself at the time when she was told that her eldest son Pancho, who’s diagnosed with cerebral palsy, would suffer from disabilities.
Magalona recounted how she had a hard time trusting her decisions which is why she didn’t insist on having Pancho go through several tests before. She talked about this in an exclusive interview with broadcaster Karen Davila, as seen on Davila’s YouTube channel yesterday, March 26.
“When I was being told by the doctors, when I first went there and they were like not really doing all the tests that I feel like they should have, I trusted them. I feel like I should have asserted myself and said, ‘No, there’s really something wrong. You have to check it now. You have to do something,'” the actress-singer said. “I think there was a lot of blame, self-blame [on me that went,] ‘Why didn’t you do it?'”
“Of course now I know that it’s not my fault. Of course I’ve never been pregnant before. This is something that no one wanted to happen,” she stated. “I’m coming to terms with that. I’m still in the process of healing.”
Magalona then opened up on the difficulties she experienced being a mother of a child with special needs.
“It’s difficult to see and to read about typical children and their families. I can’t help but feel a little sting when I see other parents sort of complain about the small stuff. It used to make me resentful but then I learned that everyone had to go through different experiences,” she said. “It’s not their fault, this is their experience.”
Magalona also spoke about how Pancho brought out a better version of herself and contributed to her growth not just as a mother but also as a person.
“I don’t think I was a horrible person to start with but I think he has brought out so much patience in me and it’s just pure love. I’m not watching out for the next milestone or the next expectation and whatever,” she added. “It’s just really like supporting him, being there and giving him opportunities.”
Magalona and her husband, fellow musician Jim Bacarro, recently celebrated Pancho’s 4th birthday, while also remembering his twin sister who passed away, Luna. The couple also has a two-year-old son, Vito. JB
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