Dina Bonnevie. Image: Instagram/@dinabonnevie
At 62 years of age, Dina Bonnevie is at her prime, but there was a time in her life when she was declared “clinically dead for a minute and 10 seconds,” an experience that brought her to a deeper faith in God.
Speaking to fellow veteran actress Amy Austria for her vlog, Bonnevie recalled an incident when she was 23 years old when she felt overwhelmed by her responsibilities as an actress, and she just blacked out almost to the point of death.
“Actually, na-clinically dead ako for a minute and 10 seconds. Siguro overfatigue ako kasi at that time, ang dami kong ginagawang pelikula na sabay-sabay. And then nagda-dubbing ako and nagpo-promote pa ako ng movies ko,” Bonnevie shared when asked how she came to know God.
(I was actually clinically dead for a minute and 10 seconds. I guess it had something to do with overfatigue because, at that time, I was doing a lot of movies at once. I was even dubbing and promoting my films.)
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The actress shared that her brush with death started when she was promoting a film at Alma Moreno’s show “Loveli-Ness” where she experienced difficulty in breathing. After coming home, she asked her daughter Danica to call the doctor until she suddenly fainted in the bathroom.
“I could no longer see. Blinded na ‘yung vision ko tapos hirap na akong huminga. Super asphyxiated na ako (My vision was blinded and I had a hard time breathing. I was super asphyxiated),” she said. Bonnevie was then brought to the emergency room where doctors did their best to bring her back into consciousness.
“Tapos the next thing I knew, wala nang nagsisigawan. Biglang tahimik. Sabi ko, ‘Anong nangyari bakit biglang tumahimik na? Where’s everybody? Okay na ba ako?’” she said. She then started calling her sister, saying she wanted to go home, but her pleas were being ignored.
“Hindi niya ako pinapansin. Pag [hawak] ko sa kanya, nagulat ako, lumampas ‘yung kamay ko… Pag tingin ko sa monitor, may [flat line] ta’s [umiiyak] na kapatid ko. Akala ko at that time, sira ‘yung TV,” she continued.
(Then the next thing I knew, no one was shouting anymore. It was suddenly quiet. I asked, “What’s happening? Why is it quiet? Where’s everybody? Am I okay?” My sister didn’t even notice me. When I touched her, I was shocked because my hand went through. Then when I saw the monitor, it was already in a flat line and my sister was crying. I thought the TV was broken.)
Bonnevie recalled her surroundings “turning dark” before she was hoisted onto a “long, rollercoaster-like” ride. She found herself in a long tunnel soon after, where she felt nothing but “peacefulness and calmness.”
“Tapos from the long tunnel, it was a pure peacefulness and calmness… Walang voice pero parang kinakausap ka through the mind, telepathic na, ‘Are you ready to come with me, my child?’ Tapos noong sinabi ko ang yes, parang napalibot ako ng light. It’s like you were embraced by the light,” she said.
(I felt pure peacefulness and calmness in the long tunnel. There was no voice. But I felt someone talking to me telepathically, saying, “Are you ready to come with me, my child?” When I said yes, I was surrounded by light. It’s like I was embraced by the light.)
This led Bonnevie to cry tears of joy as it was a moment where she felt so much love. “Hagulgol ako nang hagulgol not because of fear but because of so much love. Parang ang sarap ng feeling na ‘to (I was sobbing not because of fear but because of so much love. It felt so good).”
“Parang mas masarap pa sa hug ng anak, sa hug ng ama, ng ina. Naiyak ako sa sobrang sarap ng feeling na parang mahal na mahal ako,” she continued. While looking back at her life, Bonnevie asked if she could talk to Danica. But as soon as she reached out to her daughter, she was brought back to the hospital in a now-conscious state.
“Dine-defibrillator na nila ako. Shinoshock para gumising. Nagising ako,” she said. “I didn’t tell anyone. Kasi baka sabihan ako ng sira ulo ako.”
(The hug was better than one from a child, father, or mother. I cried because I felt the hug was telling me that I was loved. Then, I woke up. I was already helped by a defibrillator. They were shocking me awake. I woke up. I didn’t tell anyone because they might think I’m crazy.)
Despite this, her experience with death started Bonnevie’s journey into discovering her faith in God.
Bonnevie started her career in the 1980s after competing at the 1979 Miss Magnolia pageant. She is best known for her appearances in “Temptation Island,” “Magdusa Ka,” and “Tanging Yaman,” to name a few.
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