MANILA — DJ Nicole Hyala and her husband could not stop crying as they opened up about their daughter’s battle with viral encephalitis, or inflammation of the brain.
The radio personality, whose real name is Emmylou Gaite-Tiñana, referred to the recovery of Princess as a “miracle” from God in a 44-minute vlog.
Their daughter spent around a month in the hospital — most of it in the pediatric intensive care unit — as she struggled with her “sudden” and “unexpected” condition.
“Nagulat kami kasi akala namin lagnat lang, ‘yun pala brain inflammation,” Hyala said.
“Actually napakarami naming tanong, ‘Bakit si Princess? Bakit ganoon?’ And it was really painful to see her there [in the ICU],” she added.
As their daughter showed signs of regression, Hyala and her husband said they turned to faith as the radio personality recalled her “moment of surrender.”
The day after, the couple was surprised to see that Princess was showing signs of recovery.
“God gave us a miracle. And every day, she started recovering. Every day, may bagong development sa kanya,” she said.
“‘Yung doctors, unti-unti na nilang sinasabi sa amin na, ‘Alam mo, Mommy, akala namin talaga hindi magre-recover si Princess. Of course, meron kaming ginagawa para sa sakit niya, but we do not want to attribute itong paggaling niya sa paggawa namin. We attribute it to God,’” Hyala recalled.
And while their hospital bill reached P2.3 million, the couple only paid P39,000 as the rest was covered by health insurance.
“Alam mo ‘yung kulang na lang halikan mo ‘yung lupa? Lord, thank you,” Hyala’s husband said. “Kasi hinanda mo pa rin kami. Kahit ang sakit-sakit ng nangyari sa amin, pinaramdam mo pa rin sa amin ‘yung mahal mo kami. Kasi hindi mo alam kung saan mo dadamputin ‘yung P2.3 million.”
Toward the end of the video, Princess joined the couple as she thanked all those who prayed for her.
The eight-year-old continues to undergo physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy.
