MANILA, Philippines — After six weeks of hospitalization, Kris Aquino on Monday said she has been discharged and is now settling into a new home.
“We are finally settling into our new home straight from the hospital after 6 rollercoaster weeks. I am so very grateful to all of you for your continued prayers and well wishes,” the 54-year-old wrote.
Aquino, who has been open about her ongoing autoimmune conditions, credited a wide network of medical professionals for her care, naming nurses, technicians and multiple hospital departments that supported her during the lengthy confinement. She offered specific thanks to doctors who managed her rheumatology, cardiology, pain treatment and surgical procedures, calling their work critical to her survival.
She also acknowledged her former boyfriend, Dr. Mike Padlan, describing him as instrumental during a medical emergency late last year. Aquino said Padlan was “literally one call away” on Dec. 25 and 26 and facilitated her confinement when her condition worsened.
“I am forever indebted because without him, I would no longer be here. When I first opened up to Ogie Diaz about ‘my doctor from Makati,’ I remember saying that with him, I felt safe. We didn't work as a couple, but we do work as physician and patient because Dr. Mike knows me and how my body works; he has seen and continues to witness me at my weakest and instinctively knows which doctors I will get along with,” she said, adding Padlan also helped bring in her current cardiovascular surgeon.
In the post, Aquino also made a rare personal reference to her late brother, former Philippine president Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III, noting that the day before her update would have marked his 66th birthday.
She then recounted a message he once sent her amid online criticism.
“We once had a text message exchange during a time when he was being so brutally crucified on social media. I can remember so clearly his reply to me when I said: ‘You're being beaten up so badly. Defend yourself, it's so unfair. This mess is not your fault. You don't have to be the silent leader all the time because you have a legacy of many achievements to protect,’” recalled Aquino.
To which the late former president replied to her, “Kristina, please learn to relax and leave everything up to the One above. My conscience is clear, and I can still sleep peacefully. Matulog kana, and please, ‘wag kang pumatol. Less talk, the sooner this will die down. If you talk, you will just fan the flames, and who will be the happiest? Our enemies. Our birthdays are coming — let’s have peaceful ones.”
Aquino also acknowledged that family members sometimes urge her to limit health updates to avoid worrying supporters, but said she plans to speak more openly once her upcoming project launches.
“I’ll discuss my health challenges when the #KrisPodcast is ready for your viewing and listening, and experts can explain to you why every day God gives is simply ‘borrowed time.’ I am praying hard my ‘Return to Owner’ date is still a decade away,” she wrote.
The media personality disclosed that she will begin physical medical rehabilitation next week following the removal of stitches from her PortaCath procedure. She also appealed for assistance in finding a one-on-one Tai Chi instructor and a walking coach who can accommodate her medical limitations, including dizziness, balance issues and a history of blood clots.
“But I feel it, do you? I’m slowly getting back the old ‘say-it-like-it-is, ready-to-laugh, even-at-herself’ me,” Aquino wrote.
She closed the post by signaling a return to work once cleared by doctors and teased a new production team for her podcast.
“Once I get my medical clearance, I’ll be ready for my #KrisPodcast,” she said. “Remember: be #brave and always #LoveLoveLove.”
