TWO LIVES, RARE ILLNESSES, AND THE SHARED COURAGE TO KEEP GOING

There are moments in life when we look at someone we admire and think: “They’re invincible.”

- DR. RAFAEL R. CASTILLO

Then suddenly we realize, no one is. Two recent stories — one involving the celebrated media personality Kris Aquino, the other involving distinguished public relations consultant Susan P. Joven — remind us how fragile human health can be, how rare illnesses can strike anyone, and how resilience and compassion matter more than ever.

KRIS AQUINO: A PUBLIC FIGURE, A PRIVATE BATTLE

Kris Aquino has for decades been known as the “Queen of All Media.” Her public persona is confident and charismatic, but behind it lies a very difficult journey. Several years ago, she revealed that she is battling multiple autoimmune disorders — conditions in which the immune system, instead of protecting the body, begins attacking its own healthy tissue.

In July 2025, she shared in one of her updates that she has been diagnosed with 11 autoimmune diseases and is now using a wheelchair due to mobility issues. Earlier this year, she described extreme pain — knee to feet — saying “each step is agony” and that she weighed only about 36 kgs. (80 lbs).

What does this mean in plain terms?

Autoimmune diseases such as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, vasculitis, polymyositis, and others are chronic, complex, and often unpredictable. They can cause pain, fatigue, organ damage, and impaired mobility.

Frequent hospital tests, treatments like immunosuppressants, infusion sessions, isolation (because these treatments lower immunity) demanding regimen become part of daily life. Kris announced a six-month preventive isolation because her immunity would be drastically reduced while she received one of her treatments.

The emotional toll is substantial. In her posts she admitted: “It’s difficult to accept every night when I sleep that there may be no tomorrow for me.”

And yet, even in her weakness, she speaks of hope: about her sons, about faith, about never giving up (#hindisusuko).