She entered the room singing and dancing, looking like she was having the time of her life. OPM icon and character actress Timmy Cruz was radiant in her denim jeans and crisp white shirt. Her short bob perfectly matched her dangling gold earrings.
The singing legend behind the ‘80s hit song “I Love You Boy” announced her showbiz comeback and is now under the management of Rams David, founder and CEO of Artist Circle talent management.
Timmy welcomed the media guests with her warm smile but turned emotional during the Q&A portion. Apparently, behind the glowing and healthy-looking woman in front of us was someone who powered through a tough health battle in 2016.
“I had a health challenge. It blocked the road for a while. I was in a teleserye and then they had to end my role. When that happens to you, the doctor goes to you, ‘It’s cancer,’ you’ve never heard that before. When I heard that, no matter how strong I was, I was broken,” she revealed.
a new management
Timmy’s cancer had an early detection, thanks to the annual medical check-ups she gifted herself since she entered her 40s. She was diagnosed with cancer at 56.
“When that happened, they found this mass as small as a peppercorn. I felt it. I was in my house in Tagaytay when all of a sudden, I felt like I was having a heart attack,” Timmy related.
After consulting different doctors and seeking several opinions, she chose the most conservative treatment program. She wishes to empower women to decide for themselves and take control of their bodies. While she described it as a very hard decision to make, the singer-actress had one of her breasts removed. She rolled with life’s punches and made sure to conquer the battle, one challenge at a time.
“Going back to showbiz was very far from my plan back then. This time, I feel it’s God’s calling. When you make a wish and it’s a good one, it will be given to you. I am here to share and spread goodness,” Timmy shared with a voice full of hope and positivity. As Timmy makes a comeback, guests at her media launch probed into the secrets to her beautiful glow and really smooth skin.
“When I had a break from showbiz, I did not wear makeup. That was seven years. Sometimes, I would wear mascara or a little blush and I would tell myself, ‘O, that’s how you look naturally. Love it, enjoy it, and accept it,’” Timmy shared and showed us her really light makeup that day. Aside from constantly going au naturel, she also embraced her salt-and-pepper hair color.
“I appreciate other women who want to keep their hair dark but as for me, I’m okay with this. It took me a year to fully accept [my natural hair color],” she admitted. “You have to really program your mind to accept everything.”
Taking care of her body and controlling how her mind works proved instrumental in Timmy’s wellbeing journey.
“Go to the mirror and undress yourself. Ask yourself, ‘Mahal ba kita? Kung mahal kita, aalagaan kita.’ (Do I love you? If I love you, I’ll take care of you.),” she advised.
She took care of her food intake, exercise, sleep, what she listened to, what she looked at, the people she spent time with, and the problems she tried to solve.
“Self-care is what I really want to go into and mental health. I know that a lot of people are depressed and sad. I know that I can help them by sharing my story of hope, happiness, and peace,” the proud survivor added.
“I did not take things seriously and would pretend sometimes that my battle is a game. My aim was to win this game,” Timmy let us into her fighter’s mindset. “Your mind and your inner self can heal you. I didn’t go to any particular person, I just let God take care of things.”
Spirituality was indeed part of Timmy’s survival kit. She is a part of Brahma Kumaris which she described as “a spiritual university affiliated with the United Nations.”
She also added that it is a non-profit organization promoting inner peace and power. Timmy went on to explain further, “You come to the programs with one premise – that your birthright is peace. You were born to be a good and peaceful person. When I heard about that, I knew that this is the organization I want to belong to.”
Timmy has been a meditator since 2001, trained in open-eyes meditation long before her cancer diagnosis in 2016.
“In all those sixteen years, my spirituality became deeper and more beautiful. I used that to heal myself completely and recover beautifully,” she said.
The OPM icon also revealed that she chose to not discuss her condition until after her recovery to prevent the negativity in her life from expanding.
It seems to take a lot to live the way Timmy does and stay healthy these days. But she talks about her ways with so much passion. The inspiring advocate makes things sound so easy.
“Physically, I don’t drink cold water, softdrinks or sodas, and coffee. I only drink purified water. I also squeeze lemon every morning and gulp it down. It’s one of my secrets doing well for me,” Timmy enthused.
“I exercise, I swim regularly. I do an hour of all the styles – back stroke, breast stroke, and freestyle seriously. I do a little bit of pilates and tai chi. I sing a lot for our meditation community. I sing while doing the chores. When you’re singing something, your concentration improves.”
She also added that cleaning, gardening, and walking her six gigantic dogs are part of her list of regular activities. “I love exercise. My body looks for it,” Timmy raved.
A practicing yogi, Timmy maintains healthy lifestyle that also extends to her eating habits. She has been a vegetarian since she was a little girl. After witnessing the miracle of a live birth of a cow in their family’s farm in Bulacan, Timmy made a strong commitment at such a young age.
“I was seven years old and I had this beautiful experience. I said, ‘I’m never going to eat anything that has a mom, a family, and has blood.’”
Since then, Timmy stopped eating pork, chicken, and the last thing she let go of was fish. To mark the ceremonial end to eating fish, Timmy went to a restaurant in Tagaytay and ate two pieces of her favorite daing na bangus (butterflied milkfish). “I told myself, ‘This is the last time you’re going to eat this bangus so you better eat all of it.’ I ate all of it including the belly,” Timmy detailed. She has not consumed fish since that day.
Self-healing and maintaining her glow were derived from a series of habits Timmy has developed through the years. While she keeps a healthy mind and body, Timmy acknowledges that feeling down at times is inevitable and that is when one needs to tap into the inner power.
“When you’re sad or depressed, you go into self-pity. You can’t help it and become weak. I used the power of meditation during the most challenging times of my life. I can vouch that when you use your spirituality and inner power, you can survive and rise above anything,” she said.
The returning artist who is set to release songs and become active once again in the entertainment scene added these reminders, “Let’s just do and give what we can. When it’s over and beyond, we will have nothing left for ourselves. We also get consumed. So, take care of yourself. Love yourself.”