Last year, skincare and beauty mogul Glenda Dela Cruz, better known as “Miss Glenda,” was fighting for her life in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), connected to machines that kept her alive after suffering a stroke and battling pneumonia.

“Last year po nasa ICU ako, nag-aagaw buhay. Iyong mga anak ko umiiyak po sa akin. And I almost gave up. Nasabi ko ayoko na po, ayaw ko na po talaga,” she recalled during an interview with Ogie Diaz.

“Nagsimula siya sa pneumonia. So yung lungs ko po, napapalibutan siya ng phlegm. And then after four days, na-stroke po ako. Then iyon na po, nag-worsen po iyong condition ko,” she added.

At one point, she even wrote a note to her cousin expressing her desire to give up the fight.

But when her children visited her in the hospital, her will to live was renewed.

“So the moment na pag-alis ng mga anak ko, nagsabi na po ako na ilipat niyo po ako sa mas malaking hospital,” she said, adding that her transfer was delayed as her relatives had to sign several documents acknowledging the risks since moving her to another hospital was considered dangerous.

Now that she has been given what she calls a second life, Miss Glenda said the experience made her realize she still has a greater purpose.

“I think, after everything that happened to me, parang siguro po sinasabi Niya sa akin na hindi ka pa pwedeng mag-give up kasi ang dami pang umaasa sa iyo,” she said, referring to her loved ones and the more than 1,000 workers at Brilliant Skin Essentials, the company she built from the ground up—from being an ordinary worker to becoming a successful entrepreneur.

“I have 1000 employees, can you imagine kung sumuko ako? Pag na-down ako? Maraming family na maaapektuhan. Meron po ako mga empleyado na mga hindi nakakapagsalita, hindi nakakarinig. May mga kapansanan na sinabi nila sa akin noon na ako lang yung tumanggap sa kanila. So, kung mawawala po yung Brilliant Skin Essentials, parang mawawala na din yung purpose ko,” she said.

She is also determined to face the challenges and controversies head-on, answering all the accusations thrown at her, including rumors that she launders money for former Ako Bicol Party-list Rep. Zaldy Co.

“Nagulat po ako kasi after two weeks of my vacation na sobrang jetlag pa ako, biglang may lumabas po na blind item na sinasabi po nila na there’s a possibility that Miss Glenda is linked with Zaldy Co because she went to Portugal,” she said.

Miss Glenda said she does not know and has never met Co, adding she earned her billionaire status through years of hard work and building her business.

“Ilang taon na po yung paratang sa akin. Kasi ayaw po nilang maniwala na possible na sa isang skincare pwede ka talagang kumita nang malaki. So sinasabi nila na kaya ako nakaka-afford ng ganitong lifestyle kasi money launderer na po ako,” she said, referring to the accusations hurled by her online bashers.

As she continues her recovery, Miss Glenda said her focus is on her health, family, and her business ventures, saying her decision to fight for her life was worth it.