Saab Magalona opens up about being a mom of a child with special needs

Saab Magalona got real about being a mom of a child with special needs as she pondered over the “not-so-pleasant” remarks she and her husband, musician Jim Bacarro have heard about their son Pancho. 

In an Instagram post, the singer recalled receiving comments like “Sayang naman,” “Gwapo pa naman,” and “Awang-awa kami sa anak niyo” in the past weeks. “We thought we were prepared for this. That we would take it as a chance to educate people to choose a better way of saying things. But in reality, it’s way too shocking to actually respond in the moment so we just clam up,” she wrote. 

Pancho has cerebral palsy—“a group of disorders that affect a person’s ability to move and maintain balance and posture,” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

While being a mom to a kid with special needs comes with various challenges, Saab described it as “a privilege and honor with rewards beyond our wildest dreams.”

Talking about Pancho, she said: “He may be dependent on us but we are also dependent on him. He makes like easier. Pure joy is no longer sought, instead it’s something we experience on a daily basis.” 

Saab and Jim welcomed their “miracle boy” after suffering serious complications during his birth—including sepsis, pulmonary hypertension, ventriculitis, and intraventricular hemorrhage—in 2018. The couple, unfortunately, lost their baby girl (Pancho's twin) in the process.