When Kirsten Danielle Tan Delavin, Kisses for short, turned 18, her parents, Gilbert and Carrie Delavin, hosted a grand “coming out” party for her at Shangri-La Makati last May 1 which was a fitting celebration for the only child who survived her mom’s eight miscarriages.
No wonder that during her stint at the PBB (Pinoy Big Brother) Lucky 7 edition, wherein she finished a second placer, Kisses was touted as “The Miracle Baby of Masbate.”
“When Kisses was six years old,” Gilbert told Funfare, “she was diagnosed with viral encephalitis, a rare disease, and she was in coma for less than 24 hours. She was in the ICU for one month at the Lourdes Hospital. The doctors said that patients like Kisses usually had 95 percent mortality and five percent chance of survival. And if a patient survives, nagiging mentally retarded daw. But Kisses fully recovered and grew up a normal child.”
Even her entry into PBB was described as “a miracle” by Carrie who recalled in an article by Grace Libero-Cruz and Bianca Geli in StarStudio magazine that Kisses almost missed the audition. The Delavins are living in Manila where Kisses is studying (B.S. Accountancy at De La Salle University).
After learning from a Facebook post that the audition was going to be held in Bicol on June 25 last year, Carrie initially wanted to take a bus to Bicol but changed her mind and took the plane instead.
“We arrived (in Legazpi) at 2 p.m.,” Kisses told Grace and Bianca, “and I wanted to take a nap at the hotel but Mommy decided that we eat at a mall. We learned that the auditions were being held there already.”
So Kisses rushed to a salon for a make-over, rushed back to the mall only to find that the auditions were already closed. She begged the staff to give her a chance, explaining that she and her mom came all the way from Manila, but she didn’t make the final list.
“Another ‘miracle’ happened,” said Kisses. “Everybody was called except me. A number was called but nobody answered. Wrong number pala ‘yon. It turned out to be my number.”
In the same StarStudio story, Gilbert said Kisses is not a Cry Baby, she’s jolly and very smart. At age 6, Kisses was already helping bundle cash at the family’s wholesale business in Masbate; and at 12, she was taking care of the deposit slips.
The smart girl that she is, Kisses was hands-on in planning for her debut. The Shangri-La ballroom took on “a French Parisian chic touch, reminiscent of Marie Antoinette’s era” because Kisses has a weakness for things French. She even regaled the guests with a rendition of La Vie en Rose. She wore two gowns specially designed by no less than Francis Libiran — “a pink off-shoulder ball gown intricately embellished with embroidery, beadwork and layers of silk organdy” and the other “a lavender and nude mullet dress in fine soft tulle fabric, embellished with custom laser cut floral appliqués embroidery and beadwork.”
Kisses’ debut was a milestone that called for a grand celebration. At 18, Kisses is saying “Hello!” to stardom.
(E-mail reactions at entphilstar@yahoo.com. For more updates, photos and videos, visit www.philstar.com/funfare or follow me on Instagram @therealrickylo.)