Jodi Sta. Maria celebrates birthday with 70 patients of Kythe Foundation

Jodi Sta. Maria (left) spends day with kids of Kythe Foundation.

While viewers of the drama series “Unbreak My Heart” are still hooked on the story of Rose, Jodi Sta. Maria, the actress who plays her, disclosed that her full attention is now turned to preparing for a new film she is set to shoot later this year.

Jodi is not allowed to talk publicly about the project just yet, but she let on that she has to prepare for the film four times a week. Taping for “Unbreak My Heart,” which was partly shot in Italy and Switzerland, has long been over. “But I can’t really say that I’m on a break. All I can say is that this new role is something that challenges me,” she told reporters in a recent interview. “When the story was presented to me, my initial reaction was, ‘I don’t think I can do it,’ but the more I thought about it, the more I got fired up. That’s why I agreed to do it, eventually. Although there were days when I’d still ask myself, ‘Why did I even say yes to this!’”

When asked what roles she considered were her nonnegotiables, Jodi mentioned only one thing—she refuses to do any more horror projects after appearing in the exorcism-themed movie “Clarita” in 2019.

“My manager, Mader Biboy, and I already agreed on this. I told him, ‘Graduate na ako sa horror.’ It’s something that I believe really happens in the spiritual realm. We have to be very careful with how we deal with those things. I promised myself that ‘Clarita’ would be my last,” said Jodi.

Different opinions

Meanwhile, “Unbreak My Heart” only recently started its second season, “with a lot of face slapping and shocking scenes. We had to start high, of course,” explained Jodi. “I’m thankful that people continue to support the series.”

“Unbreak My Heart,” which also features Joshua Garcia, Richard Yap and Gabbi Garcia, is a landmark project between ABS-CBN and GMA 7, in cooperation with the streaming platform Viu.

“I’m happy that a lot of viewers seem to be engaged in the story. There’s a part where Gabbi’s character Alex revealed that Rose had an affair with Joshua’s character Renz. Hati ang opinyon ng sambayanan—some say this was wrong, but others say the affair was already part of their past and should already be forgotten. It’s good because they all have different opinions on the issue,” Jodi pointed out.

“Another scene that shocked viewers was when Alex slapped her own mother. This received dissenting opinions, too. I think that even until Season 2, Rose’s objective has not changed—to ask for forgiveness from her daughter. Her heart has always been for Alex.”

Meanwhile, the media interview was to promote Jodi’s postbirthday celebration with the kids of Kythe Foundation. Some 70 kids, along with their parents or guardians, attended the party held on Sept. 2 at the clubhouse of Philam Homes in Quezon City.

Special birthday bash for Sta. Maria

Jodi has been the ambassador of Kythe Foundation, which provides aid for children battling cancer and other chronic illnesses, since 2017.

“June is really my birthday month, but I was out of the country during my birthday, so we decided to push through with this today. This is one of the foundations that I actively support. I’m a mother myself so I can imagine how difficult it must be for the parents of kids who have these conditions. If I could help provide the kids some semblance of normalcy while undergoing treatment, then I’d gladly do it,” she said,

This year, Jodi said she and Kythe Foundation official William Carey Bayot decided to invite a select group of media practitioners to their often private birthday party with the kids. “The foundation is helping some 8,000 indigent children patients, so we really need the support of friends. We also want to raise awareness of what Kythe does. If people are looking for a group to support or sponsor, or if they would really want to make a difference in the lives of children, then maybe they can consider Kythe. What we want is for the children to continue and complete their treatments. This is why awareness of what Kythe does is important,” Jodi explained.

When asked to share a “success story” that she has witnessed through the years she has been working with Kythe, Jodi cited the journey of a 16-year-old girl named Alaika. “She had leukemia. When I first met her, she was undergoing treatment. I would always ask her how she was feeling, and I never saw weakness and hopelessness in her. She is such a fighter that even I feel inspired by her,” Jodi began.

‘Success story’

“She is here today and is now cancer-free. She is a survivor. Stories like hers give you hope, make you think that if something like this happened to Alaika, then this is also possible for other kids associated with the foundation,” she added.

Jodi claimed that serving the foundation benefits her, too. “I believe that ‘man doesn’t live by bread alone.’ We are all blessings from God. He uses all of us as His vessels. We’re His hands and feet in this world. Every time you help save other people, you will realize that you’re also saving yourself. I think that makes life more fulfilling,” she declared. INQ