Pen Medina hoping to get back to work after successful spine surgery

Pen Medina before his illness

Actor Pen Medina, who is currently undergoing therapy for his degenerative disc disease, is still hopeful of eventually getting back to work, specifically to teach acting and do paintings, according to his son Victor.

Victor said that while his dad’s doctor discussed with the family about a number of Pen’s health conditions, it was the damaged disc in his spine that caused him so much pain and forced him to undergo a medical operation to attach titanium rods in order to stabilize his spine.

“He is recovering now. After two months of confinement, he was supposed to come out of the hospital last Friday (Aug. 19). I just don’t know yet why this was postponed,” Victor told reporters who attended filmmaker Jay Altarejos’ event titled “ALT-R Heroes: 15 Years of Altarejos Cinema” at the Mowelfund Institute on Saturday night.

“The last time I was with him at the hospital, he was already able to stand up for 10 minutes. He has lost so much weight that he is now thinner than I am. He was very active at 72 years old. I still remember him looking so strong and fit. This was why we all felt shocked when this happened to him. We initially thought that he had a stroke,” he added.

Extreme pain

Victor reported that on the day Pen first felt extreme pain, he had been busy in his garden all day. He went to the bathroom after waking up from a nap, and tried to fetch water. “He tried lifting the pail but couldn’t anymore because of the pain. He just laid down on the bed for two days. But I guess the pain became too unbearable that he already experienced delirium—this was the day I went to visit him. We all decided to call an ambulance to bring him to the hospital,” he recalled.

Pen is now in therapy to help him stand up, “but we’re not certain if he would be able to regain mobility,” said Victor. “He’s always been a strong guy. What’s good is that he is able to adjust to his situation. He doesn’t force himself to get back up on his own.”

Victor continued: “Dad can’t remember any of the conversations we had before the surgery. That’s how extreme the pain he felt was. He also couldn’t recall any of the things he did and said, even the time I stayed in the hospital with him. After the surgery, he felt like his world brightened up again.”

Pen’s family recently solicited financial help for his hospitalization and operation on social media. Victor said he was grateful that so many people responded to their call. “A number of them are from the industry, but there are also a lot who chose to remain anonymous. There are a lot of kind people out there—our family has proven that. They were a big help to Dad, especially since his therapy sessions will continue way after he gets out of the hospital.

Victor Medina

Family’s support

“The family is OK,” said Victor of his brothers Karl, Ping, and Alex, and sister Japs; as well as his siblings from Pen’s current relationship, Zeth and JL. “We are well aware that Dad is already 72. We also know that it’s normal for our bodies to deteriorate as we age. We’re just here to support him. We are all here to help him as much as we can.”

Pen is slowly getting back to his cheerful self again after the operation, added Victor. “I’m not sure if he feels sad or depressed because he doesn’t show any of these emotions to us. I think it’s just normal if, in his mind, he is worried that he is becoming a burden to his family, but he doesn’t talk about this with us,” said Victor when asked about Pen’s current emotional state.

Just like his older brothers, Victor is a film and TV actor. His first film is Erick Salud’s drama-sex comedy “Ligo Na U, Lapit Na Me” (2011). He was also a cast member of “Hello World,” “Baka, Siguro, Yata” and “An1.” On the small screen, he was last seen in the soap series “Ina, Kapatid, Anak.”

“I’ve been acting for over a decade, but I’ve never gone mainstream. It’s just only recently that I decided to really get serious with acting because I’m not getting any younger and I need to be financially stable,” Victor, 32, pointed out.

Being part of a family of actors appeared to be quite complex after hearing Victor describe his. “We don’t really talk about acting when we’re together. My acting technique is mine and their technique is just theirs. We don’t share. We also don’t critique the others’ works, at least not in front of each other,” he began.

“When I need help with a particular project, I ask Dad. He doesn’t give me advice. I learn by observing him. That’s the kind of relationship that we have—if I need help, I can always ask for it,” Victor explained. “After I finished school, I worked for him as his assistant in all his acting workshops. For me, it felt like I was studying under him for two to three years. What I learned while he was teaching his students, I was able to apply to how I act in front of the camera now. His words of wisdom about acting is this: ‘Don’t act. Be 100 percent natural.’”