Timmy Cruz opens up on surviving cancer

Actress-singer Timmy Cruz has chosen the Breast Cancer Awareness Month to share her journey of surviving cancer and reveal her return to showbiz after a seven-year “self-care” hiatus.

It was in 2016 when the ‘80s pop star behind OPM hits Boy, Tingin and Joke Lang, dropped from the limelight to fight cancer. It all started when she had a sudden impulse to undergo a medical checkup after doing a hospital scene in Once Again (2016), her teleserye with Jean Garcia, Aljur Abrenica and Janine Gutierrez. The routine checkup led to cancer detection.

“That health challenge would really cut my road. It blocked my road for a while. I was in a teleserye, and they had to remove me from there; they had to end my role,” Timmy shared during a recent intimate presscon.

Upon hearing her diagnosis, her world momentarily shattered. She recalled, “I asked the doctor, what is it? And the doctor said, it’s cancer. When I heard that, no matter how strong you are, giba… giba lahat (everything crumbles).”

Owing to her diligent annual checkups, the cancer was still “very small,” peppercorn in size.

“When the news was given to me, the cancer was actually very small kasi masipag ako. I gifted myself an annual checkup when I was 40 years old. The cancer came when I was 56 years old. So, I was very used to having checkups,” she said.

But despite it being a “small mass,” Timmy felt it.

“I was in my house in Tagaytay and I was walking under the sun, suddenly (I felt something that was) parang kidlat. Napaupo ako. I thought I was having a heart attack or something. And then I let some days pass because I was going back to Manila for the teleserye,” she recalled.

“But while I was exercising again after three or four days, I felt it again… I went to the doctor again, had a biopsy and that’s what they found.”

After seeking a second, third and fourth opinion, she ultimately opted for breast removal surgery. She stressed the importance of personal agency in such decisions.

“I chose the most conservative program of all. (I’m telling this) so ladies will know that it’s really your decision what you will do with yourself. Even if the doctors give you a plan, ikaw pa rin ang magde-decide,” she said.

“I decided that even if the cancer was very small, to remove one of my breasts. Doing that, I mean as a woman, it’s really something. Super dramatic yung moment na yun. I had to talk to myself. I had to say goodbye to one of my breasts. But it’s okay, I have an implant just so you know.

“And I never want anything false in my body. Of all the people I know in the entire world, ayoko talaga ng anything na hindi totoo but sa akin binigay. But nung nangyari yun, naisip ko na since sayo binigay, kelangan ko tanggapin.”

Throughout her journey, one of Timmy’s realizations was that cancer discriminates no one. It can affect even health buffs like her. Her approach to coping with the diagnosis was one of acceptance and determination. She would tell herself: “Pinanganak ka para malagpasan mo at mapagtagumpayan mo ‘to. So galingan mo ‘to! I would do that to myself. I would observe how I reacted.”

She recalled her own reaction when she was in the hospital for her surgery. “The moment I was going inside for the surgery, they called me early in the morning, my family, my friends, who were all nervous and crying and everything.

“I was on the bed and I was just reflecting. And I was looking outside because the view was beautiful and the stars were shining. These were my thoughts, Lord, if kukunin mo na ako, OK na ako. Pero siempre, ‘wag mo akong kukunin. ‘Wag mo naman ako kukunin (laughs).”

During her surgery, she was told that some doctors and nurses were singing her hit song Boy.

“Sabi ng mga doctors ko, nalaman daw ng mga tao dun, mga nurses and ibang doctors that Timmy Cruz was having surgery, gusto daw nila manood kasi kinakanta daw nila yung Boy. So while I was undergoing surgery, kinakantahan daw ako. Tulog ako so ‘di ko alam.”

She added, “Ang huling naisip ko is sabi sa akin ni Lord, just smile and I will take care of it. When they put the oxygen mask on me for the anesthesia, the anesthesiologist said I was smiling.”

She emerged from surgery with a smile, grateful to be alive.

Her recovery was also marked by her belief in the power of the mind and inner strength.

“Ganun naging journey ko, ‘di ko masyado sineryoso yung nangyari sa akin. Inisip ko lang parang laro ‘to although napakahirap na laro. But my aim was to win this game. I believe your mind and your inner self can heal you. So that’s what I did,” she said.

“I just told God, I’m right here beside You. Basta bantayan Mo ako, alagaan Mo ako, and that’s how I was dealing with the whole thing. I just said I’m Your child, I know You will take care of me.”

Now, seven years later, Timmy’s ordeal is long behind her. Though it was over in just months, the extended showbiz hiatus became essential for her self-care.

“I decided that it would be time for me to take a break so that I could take care of myself. I didn’t have to go on chemo or anything. It was just my choice to go deeply into self-care,” said Timmy, who also focused on other things like family business and writing songs.

Some five months ago, however, she felt it was time. Just before the presscon, she had a medical checkup, received a clean bill of health and got the “go-signal” from her doctors to share the news she was returning to the industry she loves.

Timmy is now being managed by Artists Circle of Rams David. In her comeback, her first project is a Christmas song titled All I Want is You, now available on various streaming platforms, including Spotify, iTunes, and Apple Music.

When asked about the lessons others can glean from her story, whether facing health challenges or not, Timmy emphasized self-care.

“For me, gawin lang natin yung kaya natin. Ibigay natin ano ang pwede natin ibigay. Kasi ‘pag sobra-sobra na, wala ng natira para sa atin. Nauubos rin tayo,” she said.

“Take care of yourself. Love yourself. Go go to the mirror and undress yourself. Ask yourself, mahal ba kita? I did that to myself, you know, mahal ba kita? Kung mahal kita aalagaan kita. So that’s why inaalagaan ko sarili ko.

“That has to do with what you’re eating, with exercise, sleeping, what you’re listening to, what you’re looking at, the people you’re with, the problems you’re trying to solve that you cannot solve any way. You know, things like that.”

Timmy also expressed her desire to support those with mental health struggles by sharing her story of hope, happiness, and peace. She concluded with a message about faith, stating, “There is hope, and God is truly there. God is always good.”