After 2 surgeries in 2 months, Gary V is raring to go

SINGER Edgardo Jose “Gary” Valenciano — often referred to as “Mr. Pure Energy” because of his high energy performances — announced that he has been cleared of kidney cancer, a diagnosis which was made shortly after he underwent successful emergency open heart surgery in May.

“I had a muscle strain on my underneath my [ left] lung and I couldn’t breathe properly...,” the singer told Korina Maria Sanchez-Roxas in an interview in the vernacular. “[After the tests], the doctor told me that they saw something in my right kidney and, based on the results, it seems like I had a cancer of the kidney,” Mr. Valenciano on Sanchez- Roxas’s Rated K TV show, which aired on July 8 on ABS-CBN.

He added that after undergoing a Positron Emission Tomography ( PET) scan, his urologist saw the cancer hasn’t spread beyond his kidneys but said the malignant tumor was “pretty big.”

“I didn’t have symptoms so the doctors said the cancer must have been in its early stages,” Mr. Valenciano said.

He underwent surgery again on June 13, where 30% of the affected kidney was removed.

“I then received a message from my doctor that I was cancer- free and I didn’t need to undergo chemotherapy or radiotherapy.

“It’s really, really good news,” he said.

In May, Mr. Valenciano had a coronary artery bypass after feeling chest pains following a performance with his son, Gabriel Valenciano, during a show in celebration of his 35th year in showbiz.

Mr. Valenciano explained in a post on his agency’s Facebook page in May that while he has a good strong heart, the main valve of his left anterior descending artery was 95% blocked and had very thin walls because of his chronic diabetes. This prompted his doctors to recommend emergency bypass surgery which was successful.

Mr. Valenciano is known for his high-energy performances despite living with Type 1 Diabetes for 39 years.

After undergoing the two surgeries, he hasn’t performed in about two months but said during the Rated K interview that he is excited to return to the stage.

“Every day, I feel a growing excitement at the thought of coming back to ASAP, Your Face Sounds Familiar, and recently I got offered another opportunity to serve as judge in another show. I’m really excited to come back,” he said, referring to his regular TV shows. —