Caridad Sanchez's daughter opens up about actress's dementia
Seasoned actress Caridad Sanchez has been a respected showbiz figure for decades.
At 84, the actress has reportedly developed dementia, which is described by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a deterioration in memory, thinking, behavior, and the ability to perform everyday activities."
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In an Instagram post on September 17, Caridad's daughter, Cathy Babao, shared her mother's battle with memory loss.
Cathy began her post with a flashback to a conversation with her mom about her dream role, "Once upon a time, shortly after I had graduated from college, I asked her what her dream role was. 'You know, ang gusto ko talagang role na I portray yung bang matanda na malilimutin na pero pa minsan minsan may moment na nakaka-alala pa sya. Kahit Walang bayad, gagawin ko iyang role na iyan.' (My dream role is to portray a woman who is very forgetful already, but once in a while, there are windows, where her old self appears. I'll do the role even with no pay.)"
She continued, "The ironies of life. One must really be careful of what one wishes for.
"At this point I don't know whether I should be grateful that she's now unknowingly, portraying the dream role she had hoped for many years ago.
"Perhaps it will help in the coping, if I reframe things this way. Should I think of it as an answered prayer?"
Cathy then revealed, "My mother is fading. Day by day, week by week.
"It is the most difficult challenge of my adult life, next to losing my son.
"Anticipatory grief. This is what this is all over again.
"With my son, we had two whole weeks to fight, to hope, to pray that he would get better.
"And when he did not, we had a few days to accept and to surrender."
Cathy wrote a full story about her mom Caridad on her blog titled "Still Mom," where she explained her reason for revealing the current condition of the well-respected actress.
She said, "I held back about writing about her condition because of who she is.
"But just like how it is with mental health conditions, we add to the stigma if we don't write or speak up about it.
"A wise friend who had gone on a similar journey told me this: 'I suggest you write it, still. Your Mom's a well-respected figure. No one will mock her for her dementia, your revelations about her going through it is sure to benefit more people.'"
Caridad has been in the showbiz industry since the 1950's.
She was part of Kapuso shows such as Darna (2005), Marimar (2007) Time of My Life (2011), The Borrowed Wife (2014), and films such as Shake, Rattle & Roll II (1990), Saan Nagtatago Si Happiness (2006), Enteng Kabisote 4 (2007), . She was most recently seen in Ika-6 na Utos (2016).