By Tinna Santos Bonifacio
That's what Judy Ann wants to say to her family as she prepares to leave them behind and start one of her own.
Judy Ann Santos grew up the baby of her family. The youngest of three, she displayed a mature streak early. Despite her young age, she doted on her nephews and nieces. She would change their diapers and give them a bath--in a way, unconsciously preparing herself for parenthood. As the years passed, she began praying for a child to come into her life. It was the unspoken desire of her heart. "Hanggang lumaki sila, ganoon ako. Mga times na 'yon, anak na ang gusto ko," she says.
She got what she wanted when daughter Yohanna, or Yohan, came along. But the arrival of Yohan, now four years old, brought an unexpected bonus: Ryan. And just like that, Judy Ann got more than she had been praying for. "Nung binigay ni Lord si Yohan, saka naman dumating si Ryan. Hindi anak ang binigay sa akin, kundi family."
That it should happen to her is no coincidence, because Judy Ann has always been very family-oriented. Leading the busy life of one of showbiz's youngest superstars has never stopped her
from keeping her family uppermost in her mind. When her brother Jeffrey got married, she became his wedding planner, slowing down on her commitments for two whole weeks so she could give it her undivided attention. She went into business, getting a franchise of Anonymous and having her sister Jackie manage it so the latter would have something to do. They had disagreements over certain aspects of the business and how it would be run, but that never changed the way she felt about her sister. "I offered my services to Ricco and Tina Ocampo (the owners of the Anonymous chain) to be an endorser, tapos bayad yung franchise. I wanted to give my sister something to do. Pero mahirap pala 'yon. Dapat pala, sa business, hindi kamag-anak, kasi magkaka-issues kayo. Nag-away kami ng kapatid ko. Pero natuto ako na manahimik na lang. After that, masaya na lahat."
Since her early days in showbiz, she has been guided by a desire to give her family the best. Whatever they wanted, she wanted too--and that's why she worked so hard. She was driven by an inner quest for excellence and by
wanting to fulfill dreams, not for herself, but for them. "Ang dream ko lang naman noon is matupad yung wish ni Mommy na mabigyan sila ng sariling property, at saka makabili ng sariling bahay...makabili ng mga properties at magkaroon ng sariling bahay. Na-achieve ko naman. At yung maging stable ang mga kapatid ko."
So now that they are okay, it is her turn to fulfill her own dreams of having a family.
But before she does, she has one last word to share with the people who stood by her. These words, more than anything she could have done or given them, speak volumes.
"Sa lahat ng mahal ko, ang sinasabi ko lang lagi, thank you. Thank you for understanding me, thank you for loving me and for accepting who I am. Thank you for allowing me to be me."
Taken from StarStudio Magazine: Judy Ann Santos Special Edition
Judy Ann Santos grew up the baby of her family. The youngest of three, she displayed a mature streak early. Despite her young age, she doted on her nephews and nieces. She would change their diapers and give them a bath--in a way, unconsciously preparing herself for parenthood. As the years passed, she began praying for a child to come into her life. It was the unspoken desire of her heart. "Hanggang lumaki sila, ganoon ako. Mga times na 'yon, anak na ang gusto ko," she says.
She got what she wanted when daughter Yohanna, or Yohan, came along. But the arrival of Yohan, now four years old, brought an unexpected bonus: Ryan. And just like that, Judy Ann got more than she had been praying for. "Nung binigay ni Lord si Yohan, saka naman dumating si Ryan. Hindi anak ang binigay sa akin, kundi family."
That it should happen to her is no coincidence, because Judy Ann has always been very family-oriented. Leading the busy life of one of showbiz's youngest superstars has never stopped her
from keeping her family uppermost in her mind. When her brother Jeffrey got married, she became his wedding planner, slowing down on her commitments for two whole weeks so she could give it her undivided attention. She went into business, getting a franchise of Anonymous and having her sister Jackie manage it so the latter would have something to do. They had disagreements over certain aspects of the business and how it would be run, but that never changed the way she felt about her sister. "I offered my services to Ricco and Tina Ocampo (the owners of the Anonymous chain) to be an endorser, tapos bayad yung franchise. I wanted to give my sister something to do. Pero mahirap pala 'yon. Dapat pala, sa business, hindi kamag-anak, kasi magkaka-issues kayo. Nag-away kami ng kapatid ko. Pero natuto ako na manahimik na lang. After that, masaya na lahat."Since her early days in showbiz, she has been guided by a desire to give her family the best. Whatever they wanted, she wanted too--and that's why she worked so hard. She was driven by an inner quest for excellence and by
wanting to fulfill dreams, not for herself, but for them. "Ang dream ko lang naman noon is matupad yung wish ni Mommy na mabigyan sila ng sariling property, at saka makabili ng sariling bahay...makabili ng mga properties at magkaroon ng sariling bahay. Na-achieve ko naman. At yung maging stable ang mga kapatid ko."So now that they are okay, it is her turn to fulfill her own dreams of having a family.
But before she does, she has one last word to share with the people who stood by her. These words, more than anything she could have done or given them, speak volumes.
"Sa lahat ng mahal ko, ang sinasabi ko lang lagi, thank you. Thank you for understanding me, thank you for loving me and for accepting who I am. Thank you for allowing me to be me."
Taken from StarStudio Magazine: Judy Ann Santos Special Edition
