MANILA -- Anthony Pangilinan had a successful open-heart surgery and is now recovering after he was diagnosed with "heart valve issue."

In his Instagram account, Pangilinan uploaded a video as he shared what he went through.  

“I had a heart valve issue that had a 'torrentially severe leak.' And if not for a strong heart which I think I got from running, I should have already showed more serious heartfelt symptoms," Pangilinan said.

"With the help of dear friends and family, we prepped for the open-heart surgery with whatever hope and faith we could hold on to," he added.

Pangilinan said what supposed to be "three to five hours procedure turned out to be 12 due to some difficulty  in inserting the right tube into my lungs."

He said he stayed in the hospital for at least three weeks.

“It will be a long slow road to recovery. One doctor said that what I went through was like being beaten up by 10 guys and rammed by 10 trucks. ‘To hell and back,’ I describe it. Whatever way it is... I made it through by His grace,"  Pangilinan said, adding that he was preparing for the "next new season" of his life.

In the comment section of his post, Pangilinan's son Kapamilya actor Donny Pangilinan left a message for his dad.

"Been a tough past few months but we’ll get back stronger than ever," Donny said.

In a recent interview with veteran TV host Boy Abunda, Anthony's wife Maricel Laxa said her husband was recovering from his surgery. 

"We didn't want to make it public. We just wanted a private time para sa pamilya so that we could heal properly, all of us. Kasi kapag dumadaan sa ganitong challenge sa buhay, kailangan ng suporta ng bawat isa. And so we went through it quietly and it's the most beautiful thing to go through together," Laxa said.

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