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HF affects an estimated 64 million people worldwide, progressing quietly over years rather than presenting as an acute outbreak.

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She’s active and always on the go. As a celebrity baker and chef, Heny Sison built her life around movement, precision, and passion.  Nothing felt wrong — until it did. While brisk walking, she experienced shortness of breath which she initially dismissed as part of aging.  ‘Twas not dramatic. No hospital rush, no collapsing scene. Just a routine birthday checkup — something she had done faithfully every year,” Sison recallled. During a stress test, a simple question changed everything: “Ma’am, mayroon ba kayong thickened heart muscle?”  She didn’t know. Days later, the answer came. A diagnosis: hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) — a condition closely linked to heart failure (HF) when left unmanaged. It is marked by an abnormal thickening of the heart muscle, which can obstruct blood flow and make it harder for the heart to pump efficiently. It may present as shortness of breath, fatigue, dizziness, or even fainting — symptoms easily overlooked until they begin to disrupt daily life. And just like that, certainty turned into confusion. “Parang bumagyo ‘yung utak ko,” she recalled. “What is this?” For someone who had never been still, and seriously ill, the idea of slowing down felt more terrifying than the diagnosis itself. And for someone as accomplished as Sison, the first thought was not about treatment. It was about loss. <div>“Is this the end of my career? Kailangan ko na bang huminto?”  <img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17763022162341000016386.jpg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/>Chef Heny Sison shares her heart health journey during the observance of Heart Failure Awareness Week in April 14. Photo by PHA </div><div>Early diagnosis and relearning her body </div>In a conversation led by HF specialist Dr. Kay Evangelista Galindez during the Philippine Heart Association’s (PHA) observance of HF Awareness Week last Tuesday, April 14, Sison shared what came next—not just medically, but personally. Her journey with HCM shows that heart failure and cardiomyopathy care truly “takes a village.” Her cardiologists, heart failure specialists, and multidisciplinary team including nurses, pharmacists, diagnostic specialists, and rehab experts support and work together to manage her condition and restore her quality of life. For now, the medication — what Sison calls a “wonder drug” — for HCM is available in Singapore, where it is more affordable, and in the United States, where it comes at a higher cost.  While the treatment is expensive, she said, it spared her from more invasive and far costlier surgery. But beyond the prescription, the real shift was in her pace —l earning to slow down and live more deliberately. “I used to do everything hanggang mapagod ako,” she admitted. “Now, I trust my team.”<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17763022595341000016387.jpg" style="width:950px;display:block" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/>Chef Heny Sison shares her heart health journey during the observance of Heart Failure Awareness Week in April 14. Photos by PHA </div><div>Heart failure: A growing national health threat </div>Organized by the PHA Council on Heart Failure, led by HF chair and National HF Network director Dr. Erlyn Demerre, the gathering brought together heart and HF specialists to rally for a unified call to confront HF as an urgent and growing national health threat.HF affects an estimated 64 million people worldwide, progressing quietly over years rather than presenting as an acute outbreak. In the Philippines, data from the Philippine National Heart Failure Registry place the burden at around 10.4 percent of the population, reflecting a significant and continuing national challenge. A key focus of the discussions was the importance of HF clinics, which provide structured, protocol-driven outpatient care beyond hospitalization. These clinics serve as continuity hubs where patients receive regular monitoring, medication optimization, education, and early intervention to prevent deterioration and rehospitalization. “The PHA is committed to improving heart failure outcomes in the Philippines by expanding clinics, increasing access to advanced treatments like heart transplantation, and building sustainable rehabilitation programs to bring quality cardiovascular care closer to every Filipino,” PHA president Dr. Walid Amil said.<div>A complex, multisystem condition </div>HF develops gradually as the heart loses its ability to pump blood efficiently. Because of this slow progression, early symptoms are often dismissed. These include persistent shortness of breath, easy fatigability even with minimal exertion, swelling of the legs, ankles, or abdomen, unexplained rapid weight gain due to fluid retention, persistent cough or wheezing, difficulty lying flat during sleep, and episodes of rapid or irregular heartbeat.  HF was also described as a complex, multisystem condition that frequently coexists with diabetes, kidney disease, and other chronic illnesses, making long-term management more challenging and resource-intensive. Many patients initially attribute these to stress or “pagod lang,” leading to delayed consultation and diagnosis. “Education is the strongest pillar. When patients, healthcare professionals, and communities are informed, care improves and stigma fades,” Dr. Demerre said. “We must break the mindset of ‘pag heart failure, wala na ’yan’—because with the right knowledge and care, there are still many ways to help patients live better,” she concluded.

Heart failure affects an estimated 64 million people worldwide, progressing quietly over years rather than presenting as an acute outbreak.

Heart failure affects an estimated 64 million people worldwide, progressing quietly over years rather than presenting as an acute outbreak.

‘It’s not the end of your story’: How celebrity chef Heny Sison navigates life with heart failure

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‘It’s not the end of your story’: How celebrity chef Heny Sison navigates life with heart failure

Leony Garcia

Published April 16, 2026 11:33 AM PHT

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Chef Heny Soson

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