DJ Nicole Hyala opens up about thyroid cancer diagnosis, struggle to inform daughter, and loyal listeners' support
Emmylou Gaite-Tiñana, the 90.7 Love Radio disc jockey known as Nicole Hyala, has been diagnosed with thyroid cancer.
Tiñana made the public announcement on her show's June 23 episode, a snippet of which she shared on Instagram.
"I just found out I have thyroid cancer," she wrote in the caption. "And surprisingly, I am calm."
Tiñana, citing experts, noted that thyroid cancer is dubbed the "friendliest" cancer.
"And that’s good, because I’ve already been through worse. I’ve faced battles that broke me, seasons that nearly crushed me. But here I am still standing, still smiling, still kumikinang," she added.
Getting the Big C
In an interview with PhilSTAR L!fe, Tiñana, now in her 40s, said she wouldn't have known that she got the Big C if she hadn't had a routine checkup in 2023.
At the time, she was having constant migraines, which she never had when she was younger. Noting that her father had a stroke when she was 8, she took her condition seriously.
"I don't want to see light. Tapos, nagsusuka ako," she said. Upon the advice of her doctor, she underwent a magnetic resonance imaging scan and results came back "normal." Her migraines also weren't considered frequent, as they must be happening at least thrice a week.
Still, the scan showed she needed an ultrasound as nodules were spotted in her thyroid. The ultrasound confirmed the nodules, and must be identified which category they belong to in the Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data System.
"In a scale of 1 to 5, nasa TIRADS 4 siya," Tiñana said. "So I had to have a biopsy done."
Doctors found that the nodules were benign, and suggested having them removed in an operation.
But Tiñana, who has been on-air for over 20 years and is also an endorser and events host, had misgivings since it might affect her voice.
"'Yung thyroid kasi is in the same 'apartment.' My voice is my bread and butter. Parang I couldn't afford na matamaan 'yun, matouch, or whatever," she said, adding that she resorted to self-monitoring.
After two years, or this January 2025, she had an executive checkup and found that her nodules got larger.
It led to another biopsy—and a fateful phone call while she was working outdoors, in an auto repair shop.
"I was doing a content for a brand. Nakita ko doon sa NowServing app that my ENT (ears, nose, and throat doctor) was calling," she said, adding the reception was bad because of her location. "I just heard, 'Have you seen the results?'" Later on, she recalled hearing the words "papillary" and "carcinoma."
Tiñana believes that if she got the phone call in her studio, she would've burst into tears and drowned in emotions. Otherwise, it was business as usual for her, taking the bad news in stride.
"God really knows how to cushion the blow," she said. "At that particular moment, I had to finish some content. Client is life. The show must go on, hindi ko pwedeng sabihing, 'I found out I have cancer, I cannot do this.' Hindi."
Before her diagnosis, Tiñana noted that the cancer didn't show "externally," such as through a bulge in her neck. She also felt no symptoms like shortness of breath or difficulty swallowing.
"I'm self-aware of my body, so I would know if there's something going," she said. "It's really an accidental finding slash God's grace. Kung hindi talaga, if I haven't complained about my migraine check initially, wala."
Informing her family
The real challenge for Tiñana was telling her husband, Renly, and her eldest child, Princess, about her cancer diagnosis.
When Renly picked her up from work, he was aware that her ENT doctor had been calling her. She broke the news without drama.
"'Daddy, cancer daw.' Ganoon lang siya kasimple," she said. "Hindi siya dramatic. It could have been, but the setting wasn't when it was given to me."
Renly, visibly shaken by his wife's health update, was lost for words and simply asked her about her next step.
Noticing that he was sniffling, Tiñana assured him that they'd be fine, especially since her prognosis was good, she had a treatment plan, and she had read a lot of articles about the disease.
"Plus, I'm not unwell. You won't see me na parang hirap na hirap," she continued.
But things were different when it came to Tiñana's own flesh and blood, especially because of the latter's recent health scare.
In 2021, Princess had an inflammation of the brain and was in the intensive care unit for a month. At one point, she showed signs of regression, fell into a coma for three weeks, and was on the brink of death.
"I had to be very careful in telling her so that she won't be overwhelmed," Tiñana said. "Maraming nangyari and she's a very sensitive girl."
Tiñana took Princess on a date at their favorite restaurant—and had prepared a script to break it to her gently. "Inoverthink ko nang malala. Hindi ko lahat nagamit (ang nasa script ko). It was just a really normal mother-daughter conversation."
She, however, observed that Princess seemed to have known all along. "Akala lang kasi natin, sometimes, our kids don't listen to us. Pero sila talaga pinakamarites sa bahay," she said, adding that Princess would accompany her during checkups later on.
"She's okay with it. She's laughing about it," she added. "I'm thinking that they're taking it lightly because their mom is a strong woman."
Tiñana wasn't minding her cancer much, noting that it was nothing compared to the "pain" she had when Princess got sick.
"For a mother, that's really news that I wouldn't wish for even my enemies," she said. "Napakahirap noon. I would say we were able to overcome it with prayers."
Since then, Tiñana has had a renewed and strengthened faith in God, and especially now during her cancer journey.
"We were able to do this the first time. It's like God telling me, 'Oh, you know the drill,'" she said.
Gratitude for her listeners
Tiñana also expressed gratitude to her loyal listeners, especially those who sent her messages of support following her announcement.
"Doon ko lalong nakita (ang loyalty nila) kasi when you talk on air, it's just giving a part of myself. It's just a job. I'm just doing it because I like it and I'm very comfortable with it. I feed my family through my work," she said.
"It's 21 years of giving entertainment. It's always the fun Nicole Hyala. They have seen the version of me crying. They have seen the version of me as a torn mother, as a torn wife. They have seen that version of me, and they have seen all versions of my happy, happy disposition."
Tiñana also felt reassured that her lively and comical style had touched the lives of Filipinos.
"I'm just laughing it out loud, making kwento, too much information about myself," she said. "I've been getting so many messages now. Talagang buhos, overwhelmed, na, 'You were there, Nicole, when I was going through a sickness,' 'You were there when iniwan ako ng asawa ko,' 'You were there when I discovered for the first time that my son had autism,' 'You were there when I couldn't make it.'"
She said others also told her that they're praying for her.
"Mas lalong 'di ako dapat matakot," she mused.
Next steps
Tiñana said she will undergo thyroid surgery in July and, after four months, will undergo radioactive iodine therapy, during which she cannot talk to and interact with anyone for three days.
"So the extrovert in me cannot," she said. "But you know, okay lang, that's the plan."
As early as now, Tiñana also has a scheduled hosting gig in August though she isn't cancelling it yet.
"Sabi ko, I'm just so confident with God going to see me through that," she said. "Pero just to be sure, I will ask my doctor. I don't want to sulk at home. Meron akong nunal sa paa. I'm always so busy. I still want to continue to do that."
She assured her fans that she won't be off the air unless necessary.
In the end, Tiñana said it's important to find a support system and not deal with things alone in life.
"Mas maganda that you'll surround yourself with positive people. And always remember that it's important to surrender it to God," she shared.
"Let's just continue to move forward," she added. "Kasi wala na magagawa 'yung moving backward. So forward lang. Paunti-unti. Let's do it and before we know it, natapos na pala natin (ang pagsubok)." (with reports from Ayie Licsi)