Beauty queen with a rare skin condition hopes to recover to compete in pageants again

A beauty queen who competes in Ms. Gay pageants in her barangay has her dreams put on hold given a rare skin condition.

Princess Ocampo wistfully looked back on her pageant wins on “Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho,” and said that even though she competes with veterans, “Halos gabi-gabi po nananalo po talaga ‘ko.”

“Sa casual na 'yan, simple lang naman siya, pero 'pag suot ko siya, lagi akong ‘Best in Casual [wear]’ talaga.”

[“I always win. It's simple casual [look], but when I wear it, I always win‘Best in Casual’”]

For the talent portion, she would make drawings.

It all took a turn for the worst in the last year when Princess’ health deteriorated. She developed a fever and went for a check-up, and learned that she had hyperthyroid and a blood infection. Then, what she thought of as a pimple also appeared on her forehead.

“Namula po siya. Ang sakit. Para siyang maga talaga,” she said.

[“It turned red. It was painful and swollen.”]

These “pimples” eventually spread all over her body.

Princess admitted that she did not properly take care of her body back then. “After work, inom, gala, puyat. Nagte-take ako ng mga hormones. Naghalu-halo na.”

[“After work, I usually drink, go out, stay up late. I was taking hormone pills too."]

She soon lost her fit figure, and her once clear skin became marred with wounds. Moreover, Princess could no longer do her signature walk because she was bedridden and could not straighten her legs.

Presently, her right arm is the only part she can move.

Doctors have been having difficulty identifying Princess’ condition.

“Medyo generalized, sa buong katawan 'yung mga skin lesions niya. So hindi siya kayang i-manage ng mga simpleng ointment lang,” Dr. Liza Chua, RHU said.

["The skin lesions are all over her body. So it can't be treated with simple ointments,"]

“Araw-araw po talaga puro sakit po 'yung nararamdaman ko,” she said. “Naaawa na ako sa sarili ko. Pagod na pagod na."

["I couldn’t feel anything but pain. I feel sorry for myself.”]

She would ask herself, “Hanggang dito na lang ba talaga ko? Dito na ba matatapos yung buhay ko?”

[“Is this already the end?”]

Princess lives alone in Balayan, Batangas, and would often look back to the past.

“Ang ganda ko. Nakakamiss naman si Ms. Princess Ocampo.”

[“I felt so beautiful then— I miss my old self.”]

She added, “Nu’ng isang gabi nga po may pageant diyan sa kabilang barangay namin, sabi ko sana kasali ako. Iba pa rin ang pakiramdam kapag pinapalakpakan. Nakaka-miss sobra.”

["The other night, there was a pageant nearby, I wish I could’ve participated. I miss it so much.”]

Princess would get overtaken by sadness and cannot help but compare herself to others.

“Nakikita mo 'yung iba, ang layo na nila. Ikaw, nandiyan ka pa. Maiiyak ka syempre.”
[“You’ll see other people go on with their lives, but it feels like I’m stuck here. It makes me tear up.”]

Princess tearfully said that she is doing everything to survive despite the daily struggles.

She added, “Bahala na po, basta maka-survive ka po sa araw-araw.”

["I feel sorry for myself. I'm tired but I'm trying. Is this where my life ends?]

Amid the challenges, Princess is surrounded by good people: her very supportive friends and her Kuya Jaypee.

Princess and Jaypee’s mother has a new family, while their father already passed away.

Jaypee feeds Princess and also cleans her wounds. He also cuts Princess’ clothing and disposes of them right after in order to clean her. Every day, Jaypee boils guava leaves which she uses to clean the wounds.

“Hindi naman siya mahirap alagaan kasi pakakainin mo lang tapos lilinisan mo. 'Pag wala ako, sinasabi ko sa kanya, ‘'Pag may kailangan ka, i-text mo ako para mapuntahan agad kita,’” Jaypee said.

["It's not difficult to take care of her. When I'm not around, I always tell her, ‘If you need something, text me so I can come to you right away.’”

After caring for Princess, Jaypee goes straight to work painting trucks and makes P500 a day. He also has to care for his own family. With this, Jaypee has to manage his time as well as his income for his family and Princess’ needs.

“Hangga’t kaya ko pang tumulong, tutulungan ko muna siya hanggang gumaling siya,” Jaypee said.

["As long as I can help, I will help her until she recovers”]

Princess shared that sometimes she’d feel ashamed asking for her brother’s help, because she believes her brother's family needs him more.

Recently, the Balayan local government unit rescued Princess. She was first transferred to a folding bed and had to pass through an embankment to reach the hospital.

While undergoing check-ups and laboratory tests, Princess suddenly had a seizure.

“'Yung pagkakaroon niya po ng kombulsyon, so puwedeng dala ng impeksyon or puwede pong meron ding mga sakit or problema sa neurologic system na kailangan din po nating imbestigahan,” Dr. Belen of Internal Medicine said.

[“Her seizures could be a result of an infection or there could be problems in her neurological system that we also need to check."]

“Meron siya nu’ng tinatawag na subclinical hypothyroidism or bahagyang mababa ‘yung lebel ng thyroid hormone niya sa dugo. 'Pag po may hypothyroidism, puwede rin talaga na may mga skin conditions,” the doctor added.

[“She has subclinical hypothyroidism which means that she has low levels of thyroid hormone in her blood. When you have hypothyroidism, you could have skin conditions”]

Princess was advised to stay at the hospital so doctors can closely monitor her condition.

“Talagang mangangailangan siya ng tulong at matatagalan po 'yung magiging gamutan sa kanya. Maaari pong ilang buwan hanggang taon,” Dr. Belen said.

[“She really needs help and her treatment will take a long time— it could take a few months or even years.”]

Princess called for donations to help with her health challenges.

Regardless of the challenges, Princess hopes to return to beaucons one day.

“Ang naririnig ko pa rin po is nami-miss na nila ko sa entablado,” Princess said. “Depende po sa resulta ng katawan ko, kung maganda pa po ako, babalik po ako.”

[“I still hear them saying they miss me on stage. I want to recover soon so I can go back to doing pageants."]

Despite everything, Princess tries to keep a positive disposition.

“Huwag natin isipin 'yung pinagdadaanan natin. Ang isipin natin kung paano natin malalagpasan,” she said. “Hindi puwedeng magpatalo kasi lahat naman ng bagay talaga may solusyon. Umaasa talaga ako na gagaling talaga ako at magagawa ko pa 'yung mga gusto kong gawin."

["Let's not think about what we are going through, let's think about how we can overcome it. You can't give up because everything has a solution. I really hope that I will get better so I can still do the things I want to do.”]

For those who wish to help, you may send your donations to:

LANDBANK
Account name: JHON JOEL P ALDAY

Account Number: SA 2686 1096 50 

—JCB, GMA Integrated News