Diagnosed with rare illness, flight attendant finds ways to heal, soar
An autoimmune illness diagnosed when she was in her early 20s led Teresa Canlas Delgado to develop a line of products she could initially use on herself. She and cofounder Dana Marquez chose to name their now 5-year-old brand Ninma, after the Sumerian mother goddess of fertility, mountains, and rulers. Despite very little fanfare, it has managed to grow its consumer base who swear by its products that help boost one’s immunity.
One of their regular clients is actress Judy Ann Santos, who orders multiple bottles of the Triple Rhizome Tonic that she brings on set and lets her costars sample during shoots. The elixir-like mixture is made of cold-pressed turmeric, ginger, galangal, citrus fruits, and spices, and is best taken as a shot after meals. It continues to be one of Ninma’s bestsellers.
As a former flight attendant for Gulf Air, Delgado used to travel all over the world, which made her more open and attuned to other healing modalities. She was 23 when she was diagnosed with myasthenia gravis, a neuromuscular disease that commonly affects the eyes, face, and the act of swallowing. It can result in double vision, drooping eyelids, and difficulty in walking and talking.
“I found out about it because I was supposed to have Lasik eye surgery but my doctor opted not to push through with the surgery, suspecting an autoimmune disease,” Delgado recalled. Due to a lack of necessary equipment in the Philippines at the time, her blood sample had to be sent abroad for proper diagnosis.
Bewildered
As a young woman on the brink of starting life, she was bewildered by the diagnosis. Yes, she used to experience muscle spasms when she was younger and even described herself as a “little nerdy girl” with bad vision, but she couldn’t grasp why she, out of everyone else, had to get this diagnosis.
“I was still in that space where I asked, ‘Why me?’ I’m young, and I still want to do so much in my life,” Delgado recalled.
The doctor told her that there was only one medicine available but couldn’t guarantee that it would work for her. Instead of accepting the doctor’s dire prognosis, she decided to take matters into her own hands.
She researched her illness, even signing up for classes with well-known foreign herbalists and going to India to take a course on Ayurveda. She also continued to travel for leisure and to further her knowledge. Delgado took up yoga, taught herself how to surf, and would sometimes go mountain-climbing.
“No one gets to tell me what I can and cannot do,” she said.
Her defiance in the face of the doctor’s earth-shaking news served her in good stead. During follow-up checkups with her new doctors, they were ecstatic that she was doing well and told her to just continue what she had been doing. “Every time I’m in nature, I realized that’s when all my stressors are gone,” she said.
On a trip to Germany when she was still with Gulf Air, she came across an apothecary selling various herbs. She showed them her chapped hands and they told her to soak her hands in an herb-infused oil. It worked for her—and was the only thing that did after so many products sampled—so the owner taught her how to make it herself.
This eventually led to the creation of Ninma’s first product, a salve. “I call it the Miracle Salve. It’s one of our best sellers and is good for burns, dryness, eczema, and psoriasis.”
She has since come up with over a dozen products packaged in amber bottles and containers, some sold in bundles like the Flu Relief one that consists of four items designed to work together. There are also other bundles like the self-explanatory Family with Senior bundle, the Gut Health trio, and the Immunity Potion trio that includes a bottle of raw wild honey harvested from a bee farm in Negros.
Realizations
Delgado said she still has other products in mind, which she plans to come out with eventually. Beyond expanding the Ninma line, however, she also wants to help others struggling through life.
Ninma launched months before the pandemic and its restrictions adversely affected many businesses. Two that survived because of them were the makers of their cloth bags and the honey farmers of Negros.
“When we met with them on separate occasions, the workers told us that they managed to feed their families during the pandemic because we continued ordering from them,” Delgado recalled.
It hasn’t all been smooth sailing five years into their fledgling business. Copycats have sprung up offering similar products in near-identical packaging. Delgado is unbothered. “Some of our clients try out the other brands but then they come back to us. Since I also like to cook, I know what tastes good. I know how to make them palatable,” she said.
Her journey has led her to a number of realizations. “A lot of illness stems from the fact that we hold on to a lot of stuff. We’re trying to control so many things. We don’t understand that there are a lot of things we have to unlearn. The point is not just about letting go, but also learning to accept.”
After close to 20 years of living with her condition, Delgado has arrived at the answer to her question—”Why me?”—when she was first diagnosed.
“Because I know I could fight this. I know that I could come out of this better. If I managed to help myself, it means I could help other people.”
