DEATH STILL HAUNTS HER
DEATH STILL HAUNTS HER
Unexpected Access 2 host Andrea De Cruz surprised that she can’t deal with death despite liver scare
By Germaine Lim
January 21, 2010
HAVING been on the brink of death, you would think Andrea De Cruz would be less fazed by it.
The 34-year-old actress-host had liver failure in 2002 after taking the controversial Slim 10 slimming pills and survived with her then-fiance and now husband, actor Pierre Png, donating part of his liver to her.
However, Andrea says she has not been able to deal with death well since then.
She told The New Paper: ‘I was a lot braver before my transplant. I was content. I felt complete. I pretty much got what I wanted. My career was going well. I couldn’t have asked for more.
‘I even told the (Catholic) priest who prayed for me before my surgery that I was ready to go.
‘Having gone through what I have, I would think I was ready to deal with stuff like that.
‘Unfortunately, it has gone the other way. I’m not ready to go. A huge part of me feels that I’m on borrowed time.’
In 2007, she passed the significant five-year mark – survival rate for the first five years after the transplant is 50-50 – and was given the all-clear by her doctors.
Then, last August, she was struck with H1N1.
‘I felt down because my liver enzyme levels were all over the place. I thought, come on. I’ve passed the crucial stage. It’s about time the body accepts the liver as its own.
‘But in reality, it will never happen. I’m on anti-rejection medication every day. I think being down with H1N1 was God’s way of telling me to slow down.’
As it is, health concerns have forced her career to take a back seat.
Her last major TV appearance was on Channel 5′s comedy series Sayang Sayang last year.
She stayed out of the limelight in the first five years after the transplant to focus on recuperating.
Now, Andrea discusses every potential show with Pierre, whose main worry is the health risk involved.
‘He will always ask, ‘Is this project worth it?’ ‘
In the case of the new Channel 5 documentary series Unexpected Access 2, Andrea insisted it was.
The first season, which was hosted by Wong Li-Lin last year, led viewers into ‘forbidden’ places like an abattoir and funeral home.
This time, Andrea visits accident sites in Bangkok and a food waste recycling plant IUT Singapore.
The first episode of the weekly six-part series airs next Wednesday at 10pm.
Until she filmed an episode in Bangkok last month where she followed paramedic volunteers who tend to accident victims, Andrea had not realised her phobia of death.
‘It’s really adrenaline-pumping. We staked out on the highways in a police vehicle and rushed to the scene when we received a phone call.
‘When I got there, it just dawned on me that I’m actually not ready for this. You’ll see that I’m shaking and desperately trying to hold back my tears.’
Unfortunately, because of Bangkok’s heavy traffic, these victims usually die before the paramedics get to them.
Unexpected Access 2 is also a departure from Andrea’s usual repertoire of hosting glamorous events like Miss Singapore Universe.
Who would imagine the dainty, feminine Andrea getting her hands dirty at a food waste recycling plant?
Andrea protested: ‘I change the light bulbs and paint the walls at home if I have to, okay?’
She loved the first season of Unexpected Access and thought it was ‘challenging’ to take on.
‘I wasn’t hesitant at all when I was approached to do the show. Pierre said he would be very proud of me if I pulled it off.’
For Unexpected Access 2, the couple was concerned about the availability of reputable medical care in Bangkok, should she require any.
Andrea travels with her well-stocked medical kit which includes her daily oral medication.
She admitted that some directors are still hesitant about her because of her condition – and she understands.
‘Of course there was a tinge of sadness. Just when you thought your career was getting somewhere, the transplant happened.
‘I don’t see them as ostracising me or that I’m not good enough and can’t deliver.
‘What if I fall ill halfway through filming? I would be holding up production and directors still have to deliver the projects. I understand their responsibilities.’
Marriage on the rocks?
Her once-shining career may have been halted in its tracks, but she does not mind it because ‘everything has worked out very well’.
‘Post-transplant, I didn’t see being on TV as important. There were other priorities like the lawsuit (she sued the distributors of Slim 10 and MediaCorp colleague Rayson Tan for selling her the pills in 2003) and my marriage.
‘My husband’s career was taking off and I felt it was time for me to be the supportive wife.’
A failed liver, transplant and lawsuit – Andrea and Pierre have been through some tough times.
When rumours of them heading for splitsville surfaced last year, they hardly batted an eyelid.
‘We weren’t seen at events a lot and he was filming overseas for a long period so people thought we separated. I received so many phone calls and people were asking me to clear the air. But there’s nothing to clear.
‘We have never been on the verge of breaking up.
‘Our experiences have made us more open and willing to compromise. We don’t bother ourselves with trivial arguments.’
Yet, six years after getting hitched, perhaps something’s still missing.
Andrea – who has spoken about wanting kids and the possibility of adopting – feels her maternal instincts kicking in.
Previous reports say that given her current medical condition, it may be dangerous for her to conceive.
Last year, she met a three-year-old boy from the home she volunteers at.
‘The affinity was undeniable. The first time we met, he propped himself on my lap immediately.’
Andrea’s affection for the boy has led her to sponsor his speech therapy lessons as he has speech problems.
However, adoption plans are still up in the air.
‘Pierre feels that we should spread our love instead of focusing on just one child.
‘Besides, there’s a lot of red tape to clear. His parents have to agree to give him up for adoption. We’re taking one step at a time.’
The NewPaper