Shamaine Buencamino emphasizes importance of mental health in memory of daughter Julia

Veteran actors Shamaine and Nonie Buencamino launched The Julia Buencamino Project which aims to help teenagers suffering from mental illness to openly express themselves without the fear of being judged.

In a post on Thursday, November 5, the actress shared a heartfelt message about mental illness with the intention to encourage and help teenagers manage depression.

“I do it because of Julia, my youngest daughter.

“Depression took her away from us five years ago.

“She was the one who painted. The one who journaled, wrote poems, sang and danced. The one who laughed out loud and had many many friends.

“Who would have thought that along with those gifts would be a brain that would cause her so much pain,” she said.

The actress also encouraged the public to help and teach children to speak their mind without the fear of judgment - especially when it comes to anxiety and depression.

“I do it for her. I do it for all those who are afraid to tell their mothers that they are in pain.

“Because it's not true that those left behind will get over it. Because one death by suicide is one too many.

“Let us create a world where our children can tell us without fear or shame that they have a mental ache. The same way they do when they have a tummy or tooth ache,” she added.

Prior to this, The Julia Buencamino Project launched a free journaling workshop with writer, editor, and mental health advocate Alya Honasan.

According to science, art can help oneself understand his/her own thoughts and feelings. One way is through the art of journaling.

“Not exactly artistic but writing down everything that enters our mind - brain dump - is one of the best way to clear mental burden.

“And then there's journaling, writing down our thoughts and feelings to understand them more clearly,” Shamaine said in one post.

With this, the couple are hoping to reach out to teenagers who are suffering from depression like Julia did and help them cope with it.

Nonie and Shamaine lost their youngest child, Julia Buencamino, when she took her life in 2015. She was 15.

Source: shamainebuencamino (IG)