Masasabing nagiging inspirasyon ang mag-asawang Troy Montero at Aubrey Miles dahil sa pagbabahagi nila ng karanasan bilang magulang sa kanilang bunsong anak na si Rocket na merong Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Si Rocket ang bunso at nag-iisang anak na babae ng couple. Ang panganay nilang Anak na si Hunter ay 15 years old.
Ang anak ni Aubrey na si Maurie, 25, ay nasa poder din nila ni Troy.
READ: Aubrey Miles admits blaming herself for daughter's autism
Ang Autism Spectrum Disorder, ayon sa American Psychiatric Association, ay isang complex development condition kunsaan makakaranas ng hirap sa social communication, restricted interests, and repetitive behavior.
Iba-iba raw ang "degree of impairment in functioning" kada indibidwal na may ganitong panghabang-buhay na kapansanan.
"It can be challenging," pag-amin ni Troy sa eksklusibong panayam ng PEP.ph (Philippine Entertainment Portal).
Pero malaking bagay daw na naging hands-on sina Troy at Aubrey sa pagpapalaki sa anak na four and a half years old na ngayon.
"And she’s really doing so well. But I think the challenge is because we also have two other boys, although parang super grown-up na.
"Minsan-minsan lang, when something happens, normally our family, 'Wait lang muna, something’s happening.' But we cannot say that to our daughter.
"She will react na whatever she wants. So parang we call it having a moment—I don’t want to call it having a tantrums—but she needs attention. It will happen at the moment when you least expect."
Dagdag ni Troy, "So, it made Aubrey and I more patient. And I’ll say, with our kids, she changed us the most.”
Hindi raw makakalimutan nina Troy at Aubrey noong una nilang narinig na nagsalita ng "Happy Birthday to me" si Rocket.
Lubos na nagulat at nagalak ang mag-asawa.
"The first long phrase she had, she said, 'Happy birthday to me,’ We cried. It was the first time. It was a huge moment.
"It happened during her therapy. And yung therapist would also record yung progress.
"Tapos, after, it was her birthday. And when we we’re doing the cake, she sings, so, oh my god! It was a super nice gift."
Marami raw natatanggap na mensahe sina Troy at Aubrey, lalo na mula sa mga magulang na pareho nila ang situwasyon.
Kaya nagdesisyon daw silang magkaroon ng Facebook page na “Rocket’s ASD Awareness Page.”
Ayon kay Troy, "We did that, tapos, ang daming mga followers in just how many months.
"And while we’re sharing her progress, adventures, ang daming mga parents' sharing, which we wanted. So it’s not just us, it’s also others sharing. So we’re also learning a lot from the other parents.
"And then others are asking questions. Like, 'Oh my god, I think, my child has it, but hindi pa siya diagnosed, what should we do?'
"Siyempre, we tried to advise as parents, not as medical [experts], as parents lang. It’s been a great experience."
Bukod sa daily activities ni Rocket, makikita sa Facebook page ang pagsailalim nito sa stem cell therapy.
Ang stem cell therapy para sa autism, ayon saparentsguidecordblood.org, ay isang experimental treatment kunsaan ang pagsalin ng stem cells ay nakakatulong sa "regulation of the immune system and the neural connectivity in the brain."
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ON TROY RETURNING TO ACTING
Samantala, nagbabalik sa showbiz si Troy.
Noong June 8 ay pumirma ito ng kontrata sa Artist Circle, ang talent management company ni Rams David.
Sabi ni Troy sa PEP.ph, na-miss niya ang pag-arte.
"I think, after many, many years, after talking with Aubrey, we decided that we both want, in a way, to return much stronger," masiglang kuwento ni Troy.
"We’re there, pero minsan-minsan lang. Kasi, after ng pandemic, our little daughter, she’s four years old and she’s in spectrum, and she really took so much of our attention and time.
"I think now, she’s four and a half, and she’s doing so well, parang feeling ko, I think it’s time that we really push forward for ourselves.
"Tapos, Aubrey told me, 'Sige, you muna.'"
Noong 2022, may nag-offer daw kay Troy na maging isa sa cast members ng Start-Up PH, ang defunct Pinoy adaptation ng GMA-7 ng Korean drama na Start-Up.
Pero tumanggi noon si Troy dahil sa lock-in taping na requirement noong kasagsagan ng COVID-19 pandemic.
Nang umere raw ang show, nasabi na lang daw ni Troy sa sarili, "Oh, sayang."
ON BEING FIT
Todo-alaga sina Troy at Aubrey sa kanilang pangangatawan kaya naman marami ang nagsasabing "hot" at "sexy" pa rin sila sa edad na 45 at 41, respectively.
"Siyempre, I’m super proud kasi, we worked hard and we really tried our best to stay fit, stay healthy, stay active.
"I always encourage her, like, sometimes, she will try something, and she will say, ‘Am I too old for this?’ 'No, of course not, it’s so nice, you go.' We always support each other.”
Kahit yung pagpapakita nila ng skin sa social-media posts nila?
"Showing skin, we’re okay," sabi ni Troy. "Like I’ve said, while you have it [flaunt it]."
ON HIS MOTIVATION TO WORK
Inspirado si Troy na magbalik sa pag-arte dahil kay Aubrey, at gusto niyang maging inspirasyon din sa iba.
"It’s another reason why I wanted to go back to TV, it’s because of her.
"Parang she made me feel that there’s so much to be thankful for and to be feeling blessed in this world.
"So she inspired me to work more, achieve and try to do better," paliwanag ni Troy.
Malaking bagay raw na noong nagsisimula pa lang si Aubrey, masasabing isa sa nag-alaga rito ay si Rams, kaya sa Artist Circle nila napiling magpa-manage.
Tinanong din ng PEP.ph si Rams kung ano ang mga plano niya sa showbiz career ni Troy.
"Multitalented si Troy," pagmamalaki ni Rams. "He can act, he can sing, he can dance. He can host, and he’s so guwapo. He’s the golden boy now, pero hindi siya mukhang 51.
"Para sa mga endorser ng vitamins, gatas, heto na. Puwedeng-puwede, and he’s physically fit talaga."