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Manila Bulletin devider Entertainment devider Celebrities devider GOSSIP GIRL: The accident that nearly smashed my face before my birthday

GOSSIP GIRL: The accident that nearly smashed my face before my birthday

Published May 13, 2025 10:21 am
On my birthday, I was already camera-ready. My family is very grateful to God for my healing. From left: husband Emil Buencamino, eldest Lia, and youngest Zappa.
I want to apologize to my dear column readers for not being able to write a column last week.
While performing a stand-up comedy routine for a birthday celebrant in Napa Valley, I accidentally tripped on the small speaker (I’m usually accustomed to giant speaker monitors in the Philippines that I can see out of the corner of my eye). 
I hit my forehead, nose, and lips and ended up with a heavy nose bleed and a massive cut on my lower lip. Thank God there were three doctors in the house, and they stopped the nose bleeding and advised me not to have my lower lip sewn because I was flying the next day, and that procedure, combined with the cabin air pressure for 16 hours, can increase the risk of developing a blood clot in the body's veins.
The next day was my submission deadline for my column, and all I could think about was concentrating on my healing because the lip bleeding had not stopped, and I had a flight back to the Philippines in the evening. With my nose inflamed, my lip still bleeding, all I could do was put on an ice pack and pray to the Divine Mercy Chaplet and the Holy Rosary so Philippine Airlines would board me despite my lower lip bleeding. 
I slept with my head upright because after my fall, I vomited. I also heard a loud thump on my forehead when I hit the ground. It was painful, like my head cracked.  I did not agree to go to the hospital or clinic because I was afraid they were going to keep me there for observation, and I had to fly the next evening because I had a show in Manila upon landing.
For us entertainers, the show must go on, you know.  I believe in miracles, and true enough, miracles do work. When I woke up, my nose and lips were less inflamed, and there were no black and blues, which I was so afraid of. My cheeks were just red, so it looked like make-up, and when I checked in for my flight, my lips stopped bleeding. 
So, yes, I prayed for a long, healthy, and abundant life on my birthday, one where my face, brain, and body remain intact, so I can continue to write, perform, sing, tell jokes, act in movies and TV, and take beautiful pictures with everyone. I pray you all have the same. Stay safe, everyone. Let’s all pray for each other.  
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