‘John en Marsha’ star Matutina bares battle with osteoporosis

‘John en Marsha’ star Matutina | Image: Screengrab from Julius Babao Unplugged/YouTube

Evelyn Bontogon-Guerrero, popularly known as Matutina from the 1970s comedy show “John en Marsha,” bared her long battle with osteoporosis as she recalled working with the late comedy king Dolphy and the late actress Nida Blanca.

In a recent interview with Julius Babao, Matutina, who now uses a wheelchair, shared that aside from dealing with osteoporosis, she has been undergoing dialysis for almost 10 years now.

“Na-detect ng osteoporosis. Ang gamot doon ‘yung injection of P12,000 in six months bago pa maulit ‘yung isang injection na iyon. May pain reliever naman binibigay pero talagang masakit,” she said. “Nagdi-dialysis [rin] ako three times a week.”

As defined by the Cleveland Clinic, osteoporosis is a disease that “weakens one’s bones, making the bones thinner and less dense than they should be.”  Dialysis, on the other hand, “is a treatment required for people whose kidneys are failing or not working properly.”

The veteran actress also bared that she has been struggling with poor eyesight and hearing, but affirmed that she remains grateful to still be alive.

“May mga pagkakataon na hindi ako nakakaintindi. Pero buti wala pa rin akong limot-limot,…” she shared. “Pasalamat pa rin ako dahil ito pa rin buhay. Nakikita pa rin ‘yung nangyayari sa paligid.”

Being one of the few left alive from the original cast of “John en Marsha,” Matutina admitted that she gets sad every time she remembers her late castmates.

“Nakakalungkot. Ang dali nila mawala. Pero nagpapasalamat ako kay Lord dahil binibigyan ako ng extension, pero pinapahirapan naman ako,” she expressed.

The 78-year-old actress underscored that she wants people to remember her for the good vibes she gave when she was actively acting.

“Gusto kong maalala ako ‘yung maligaya, ‘yung nakakatawa saka sa drama. Dahil noong glorious days ng radyo kasama ako. Kasama ako sa mga magagandang alaala ng radio drama,” she stated.

Babao then presented a video message from her former “John en Marsha” co-star, the Diamond Star Maricel Soriano, who played Dolphy and Blanca’s child in the sitcom.

“Gusto ko malaman kumusta ka na, ano ginagawa mo, kasi sobra na kita nami-miss. ‘Yung mga ano, those are the days sa atin, ‘di ba? Sobra kita na-miss promise. Sana magkita tayo Ate Matu,” said Soriano.

Before landing the role of Donya Delilah’s grumpy maid in “John en Marsha,” Matituna played roles in radio dramas, starting with “Lundagin Mo, Beybeh!”