Janna Dominguez grieves loss of stepdaughter just hours after giving birth to son

Janna Dominguez (right) and Mickey Ablan with Yzabel. Images: Instagram/@jannadominguez77 and Facebook/Janna Dominguez

After she revealed the arrival of her first son, “Pepito Manaloto: Tuloy ang Kuwento” actress Janna Dominguez announced the death of her partner Mickey Ablan’s eldest child, Yzabel Ablan, who died on Oct. 7 at the age of 20.

Yzabel is Mickey’s daughter from a previous relationship, but Dominguez, who has been with Mickey for more than a decade, has treated Yzabel like her own child.

On Facebook, the former “Wowowee” host changed her profile picture on the evening of Oct. 7 — from a snap with her newborn — to a throwback photo with Yzabel, which she captioned, “Come back to mommy please… I love you, my baby ate.”

The following day, she would confirm on her social media pages the death of the college student, who was supposed to celebrate her 21st birthday next month.

“It is with a heavy heart that we announce the passing of our beloved Yzabel Ablan. She has touched so many lives and she has been an inspiration to many,” Dominguez said, and then shared details of the wake, especially to “those who wish to pay their respects and celebrate [Yzabel’s] life.”

“Knowing Yza, it will mean a lot to her,” she expressed as she capped off her post.

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A post shared by Janna Dominguez (@jannadominguez77)

The actress-entrepreneur, in another post, revealed that Yzabel’s demise was caused by “a sudden heart failure and lung infection,” and shared that Yzabel initially kept what she was feeling from her family.

“Sa sobrang ayaw nya nakakaabala ng ibang tao, hindi nya sinabi samen mga nararamdaman nya. Nagpa-check up sya the day before and [the] doctor gave her meds na kaya iniisip namen [na] ok na,” she said. (Because she strongly disliked disturbing other people, she did not inform us of the things she was feeling. She had her check-up the day before, and the doctor gave her meds already, so we thought everything was already ok.)

“Then bigla na lang ganon. She was at her condo in Manila when she suddenly had a hard time breathing. Kasama niya Yaya, ate Iyn niya that time. Ate Iyn called us kaya dumiretso na kame agad ng Manila. Pero wala, after multiple attempts to revive [her], wala na talaga [siya]… God called her back home na (already). We love you, our Chabelits so much [heart emojis],” she further said.

(Then it just happened. She was at her condo in Manila when she suddenly had a hard time breathing. She was with Yaya, her ate Iyn that time. Ate Iyn called us, so we immediately headed straight to Manila. But after multiple attempts to revive her, she really was already gone.)

Several people extended their condolences in the comments section, and offered prayers to Dominguez and her family, including actors Ara Mina, Camille Prats, Rocco Nacino, and Lovely Abella, who announced the birth of her own baby boy last month.

“StarStruck” alum Iwa Moto, who was previously in a relationship with Mickey, shared in an Instagram post that she considers Yzabel her “[firstborn] daughter.”

“[H]indi ako ang biological mom nya (I am not her biological mom). I was her stepmom for a couple of years,” clarified Moto, who credited Yzabel for teaching her about motherhood. She also called her a “survivor.”

“Sobrang daming mong pinagdaanan, anak. Nalampasan mo yun (You’ve gone through so much, my child. You overcame it all). And you [became] the best version of yourself [emoji],” she shared, and mentioned the things that she will miss about her.

Meanwhile, in a Facebook Story of one of her relatives, it was mentioned that Yzabel was previously diagnosed with lupus. Mary Nicole Pilar Ablan told her niece, “You won the battle, chabs, from lupus, and that will be your legacy.”

The entrepreneurship student’s organization at Enderun Colleges also remembered Yzabel in a Facebook post.

Aside from Yzabel and the newest addition to their family, Leon, the long-time couple take care of two more daughters, Caely and Gabby. EDV