Diana Zubiri shares emotional journey of raising her firstborn child

April 11 ------ Diana Zubiri didn’t disappoint in her acting comeback via the GMA 7 primetime series “Mga Batang Riles.” Her portrayal of a wife who lost a husband was a real tearjerker. Shooting that tragic scene reminded her of a real-life experience on the passing of her first husband, Alex Lopez. The actress had to look back to that painful period of her life to express her character’s agony. “It was difficult because of mixed emotions. It’s true that you could never really break down the first time you learned about it, but when it starts to sink in, parang iiyak ka lang pala ng iiyak. Tapos may blackout. Then you cry again,” described Diana of such a heartbreaking loss. Alex passed away in 2010. They have a son named King, now 15 years old. 

It was doubly painful for Diana, what her son had gone through for having a cleft lip and cleft palate. For the first time, the actress talked about her struggles raising King during her guest appearance on “Fast Talk with Boy Abunda.” King was born with orofacial clefts and Diana admitted it brought shock to the family. “S’yempre, ‘pag nanganak ka, the physical appearance is the first thing you’d notice. So, we were all shocked, especially me, because we didn’t expect it. So, ako iyak lang ako ng iyak. But as a mother, you have to accept it. Kailangan kong harapin ano ang mangyayari, and thankfully, I had a strong support system during those times.” 

It was Alex, Diana revealed, who had a tough time accepting their child’s condition. “Hindi n’ya po masyadong natanggap agad. Naging mabigat ang pagtanggap, pero naging okay after a while.” She completely understood why Alex felt that way because according to Diana, she, too, felt the same way. “But, of course, we had to raise him together. Pero una po s’yang bumitaw. That’s also the time when many were asking why I didn’t publicize my first pregnancy. That’s the reason. I needed to protect my child, and then we also had marital problems. But it (about their child) was the reason why we separated. My son was with me and he never got to see him.” “Nakita na lang niya nung time na nakapag-forgive na ako, Tito Boy, naging maayos kami ulit. Nakita niya na ‘yung bata, okay na, naoperahan na. And during those times, I had to let go of all the pain probably because I also committed mistakes,” she added. 

Besides, Diana felt it’s just right for her son to meet his dad, and they met before he passed away. King, on the other hand, had no idea about his condition. He even asked his mom about Dr. Vicki Belo’s billboard of children having cleft lip and cleft palate. “He saw that billboard because I think Miss Vicki Belo had a charity (project) for children with cleft lip and cleft palate that time. I told him that he’s also like them but I’ll explain it when he grows up.” Diana readied herself on how she would explain to her son “because I also asked him why he was asking about it and he told me that he had a classmate who bullied him for his condition. Of course, how would I explain it to him? But my son is smart. He said there’s no need for me to explain because it’s already done. I said sorry to him because he had to go through that experience.” 

With her son’s condition as one of the reasons behind her family’s decision to move to Australia, Diana expressed delight at how King received proper treatment in the Land Down Under. He was already operated on at three months old, and then at six months old. “Until now, he’s not done yet. There’s one more. This is why I was happy when we moved to Australia. Ito ‘yung pinaka main na lugar for his operation.” 

Source: philstar.com