Around GMA

Article Inside Page

Seasoned actress Shamaine Buencamino remembered her daughter, Julia, on what would have been her 22nd birthday.

On Sunday, December 5, Shamaine posted an old photo of Julia seemingly taken during her 14th birthday.

“She would have been 22 today. Happy birthday my love,” the I Left My Heart in Sorsogon actress wrote in the caption.

Shamaine spend the day attending a healing workshop through journaling hosted by writer Alya Honasan.

Journaling, according to Shamaine, made her aware why “I have to sit with my sadness especially on anniversaries or birthdays like today.”

She continued, “My grief is proof of my love for Julia. It is part of who I am.”

Tingnan ang post na ito sa Instagram

Isang post na ibinahagi ni Actor 🇵🇭 (@shamainebuencamino)

Shamaine has turned to journaling to cope with her grief following the passing of Julia in July 2015 from an apparent suicide.

She was 15 years old at the time of her death.

Grief experts have vouched for the therapeutic effects of journaling, helping a person to unload pent-up sadness and emotion after losing a loved one.

“I do it (journaling) because of Julia, my youngest daughter. Depression took her away from us five years ago,” Shamaine wrote in November 2020.

“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.”

The painful experience made Shamaine a strong advocate of mental health awareness.

She encourages parents to reach out to their children and maintain open communication at home without prejudice.

“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 toothache,” Shamaine said.

Those seeking professional help for grief and mental health concerns, please contact the National Mental Health Crisis Hotline at 1553 (Luzon wide, toll-free); Globe 0966-3514518, 0917-8998727; Smart/Sun/TNT 0908-6392672. Hopeline: 8804-4673 (PLDT), 09175584673 (Globe), 09188734673 (Smart), and 2919 for Globe/TM (toll-free).

Here are some celebrities and personalities who opened up about their mental health struggles.

Shamaine is part of I Left My Heart in Sorsogon where she portrays Adora, the mother of Mavy Legaspi's character, Basti.