Queen of All Media Kris Aquino is still positive   after being diagnosed with her fifth autoimmune illness.

In an interview with his close friend Boy Abunda on ‘Fast Talk with Boy Abunda’ this February 14, Kris’ 53rd birthday, he revealed his realizations amid his battle with serious illnesses.

On his 53rd birthday, the veteran TV host was full of gratitude to his fans and also took the opportunity to thank those who have been praying for his recovery.

“I will not let you down because I gave up, in my view of life I cannot give up, I have to fight. I will not let myself down because you have given me the best gift, your love and your support, your prayers because I have done nothing for you but you give me so much strength because I know that you’re praying for me and that’s the biggest gift anyone can give.”

During the interview, Kris also discussed motherhood with her two children, Josh and Bimby.

“Bimb is only 16. I made a promise to him that until he becomes an adult, I will really do everything, I will do everything because it is no secret to people that Josh falls under the autism spectrum. I was the only one who raised the two of them. They still need me.”

She added that she wants to live long enough to be a stage mother to them.

“I refuse to die. Talagang pipilitin ko ang next chapter ko is to become a stage mother. I want to still be here when I’m 63.”

Here are other highlights of the King of Talk’s interview with the Queen of All Media.

Low hemoglobin count

Three weeks ago, Kris Aquino had a blood panel where she found out that her hemoglobin count had dropped. The Queen of All Media said, “I fell to below nine, that was the first time I had 8.7. In other words, if I were in the Philippines, I would have been given a blood transfusion and when you have autoimmune, what you look at are inflammatory panels that means what is inflamed inside us.”

Inflammation

Kris Aquino says that the autoimmune disease Eosinophilic Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis (EGPA) or Churg-Strauss syndrome, a rare form of vasculitis, is the villain in her life. She said that her blood has difficulty flowing through her body due to inflammation of her blood vessels. She was diagnosed with the disease when she was in its third and final phase in April 2022.

Unavailability of needed medicine in the Philippines

One of the reasons why Kris Aquino is not seeking treatment in the Philippines is because of the lack of medicine for her illnesses. She lamented, “Right now, I am on chemotherapy which is immunosuppressant, methotrexate… and I’m also taking Dupixent. That’s a big problem because that is not readily available in the Philippines. She is not on it, they have no FDA. They haven’t applied yet and unfortunately for me, that’s also not available in Singapore. I went back to where I started in Houston, Nucala. that’s the brand. Nucala is available in Singapore but she doesn’t have the FDA yet, even though she applied, they are not available in the Philippines. Right now, two of the three medicines I’m on, are not available in the Philippines.

Fifth autoimmune illness

Kris Aquino has revealed that she has a fifth autoimmune illness. She said it could be mixed connective tissue disease or rheumatoid arthritis. Some of the symptoms Kris is experiencing are a skin rash on her face or butterfly rash, low hemoglobin count, fluctuating blood pressure, and knee swelling.

Cardiovascular disease

Kris Aquino admitted that she has also suffered from heart complications due to inflammation of the muscles surrounding the organ and its middle layer. At one point, her heart rate reached between 120 and 146.

Biologics

The next six months are crucial in Kris Aquino’s treatment for her heart disease. A biological medicine has been developed for her but, she said, if it doesn’t work, she could go into cardiac arrest. “There’s a big risk involved with that medicine because you won’t be given this medicine until you’ve been given the steroid that’s given to prevent anaphylactic shock. So on Monday, I’ll take a baby dose first. They’ll see if I can handle it, they’ll give me a second dose but this will go on. I need a total of four doses of this medication. It’s unpredictable.”

Lung complications

Aside from her heart, Kris Aquino also has complications with her lungs. She has diffuse scleroderma, which is a symptom of CREST syndrome. Because of this, she may develop pulmonary hypertension. According to the TV host, nodules and lesions have been found in her right lung. She also has a persistent dry cough caused by adult onset asthma.

Allergic to several medicines

Boy Abunda asked Kris, why is it that it doesn’t get better even though he consults with excellent specialists abroad? Kris answered, it’s because he is allergic to many types of medicines and pollutants in his environment. His chest also tightens whenever he inhales dust. Even grass triggers his allergies.