Beauty queen Gabrielle Basiano opens up about pneumonia battle
Filipina Beauty queen Gabrielle Basiano was diagnosed with pneumonia, the same condition her mother battled six years ago.
Recounting her ordeal in an Instagram story, Basiano, who was crowned Binibining Pilipinas Intercontinental 2022, described enduring a "sharp stabbing pain" in the lower left side of her chest whenever she attempted to stand and breathe, highlighting the similarity of their experiences.
"Back in 2019, my mom was diagnosed with water in her lungs (Pneumonia). It made it hard for her to breathe, and she would constantly cough and spit out fluids," she wrote, "Six years later, I found myself rushed to the hospital for the same reason—I couldn't breathe. Every time I tried to stand and take a breath, there was a sharp, stabbing pain in the lower left side of my chest. And guess what? Same diagnosis as my mom."
Basiano said she had been feeling unwell but brushed off the early signs. She then urged the public not to ignore warning signs from their bodies.
"I had been noticing my shortness of breath for a while... but I brushed it off. I kept telling myself, 'Maybe I'm just tired... maybe it's just from moving around too much today,'" the beauty queen said.
She added, "When something feels off, have it checked. Don't wait. Don't assume it'll go away. Prevention will always be better than cure. Take care of yourselves. Your body speaks—listen to it."
Moreover, Basiano also shared that her doctors believe vaping may have contributed to her condition.
"And I have a confession to make. When the doctor checked on me, one thing he pointed out was that vaping may have contributed to this. Hearing that hit me hard."
With this in mind, Basicano also encouraged her followers to quit vaping, stating that our "lungs are delicate" and we "only get one pair."
"Don't wait until it's too late to realize how serious it can be," she concluded.
Basiano, who hailed from Borongan, Eastern Samar, joined the Binibining Pilipinas 2022 pageant in July and became the country's representative for Miss Intercontinental 2022, finishing in the Top 20.