Being a parent is definitely the most challenging yet most important and rewarding job that a person could ever take on. But what more if you’re going to do it singlehandedly and to two kids with special needs?
And that’s the case of Pinoy Big Brother Otso alumna Hasna Cabral, who has inspired and touched the hearts of a lot of people with her unbelievable story of strength, resilience, and unconditional love as she raises alone her two children – Basha and Baste – who are both diagnosed with autism.
It was through this stint wherein she opened up about her journey not just as an ordinary mother, but as an “Au-some mom” (or an “autism mom”).
Ever since becoming a mom when he was only 21, she has already undergone a lot of difficulties, especially when it comes to taking good care of them because she had no partner to help her out. Her firstborn Basha, who’s now 11 years old, has intellectual disability, to which she used to be in denial of until Hasna realized that her daughter behaves and thinks differently. Thus, she decided to enroll her in a special school, wherein she learned that there’s actually a proper way to teach her daughter.
Unexpectedly, her second kid Baste was detected to have global developmental delay with autistic features. While raising both of them is hard for her already, witnessing how her helpless and naïve son got bullied by other kids further inflicted pain on her, not to mention that her husband then broke up with her on her birthday in 2019.
As she quitted her corporate job as a banker in order to focus more on taking good care of them, she decided to venture on online business, initially selling her preloved office attires, then switched to buying and selling used clothes from ukay-ukay. Thus, her PBB moniker “Ukay Nanay ng Cavite”.
It also inspired one of their weekly tasks, which proceeds went to Hasna’s two beloved special children, who the housemates also had to chance to meet and bond with when Kuya allowed them to visit. Before saying goodbye to them, she got everyone emotional when she heartily told her panganay, “Lagi lang akong nandito, ha? Mama will be here for you always, okay? Lahat kakayanin nating tatlo, ‘no? Tapos tandaan n’yo na lahat ng ginagawa ko para sa inyo ni Baste. Mahal na mahal ko kayong dalawa at Mama will be very, very strong. Lahat ng haharapin natin, kakayanin natin together, okay?”
Hasna may have fallen short in her bid to becoming the edition’s Big Winner, but a slew of opportunities poured onto her as she got cast in various Kapamilya series, such as La Vida Lena, Hoy Love You, and Viral Scandal.
Despite her busy schedule, she still makes sure to spend quality time with them and be the same hands-on mom that she used to be before entering show business. In fact, during the height of the pandemic, she also became the therapist of Basha and Baste, as they undergo online therapy.
Get a glimpse of Hasna’s adorable bond with Bash and Baste through their photos in this gallery!