‘No words to express the devastation and heartbreak’: Tippy Dos Santos mourns passing of mother

MANILA, Philippines – Singer-actress Tippy dos Santos asked for understanding as their family continues to grieve over the loss of her mother, Happy, who figured in a vehicular accident in South Korea. 

Tippy’s parents Happy and John were involved in an accident while they were in transit to their hotel shortly after arriving in South Korea on December 27. Happy was brought to the ICU where she lapsed into a coma. On December 30, Tippy’s family announced through Happy’s social media accounts that she had passed away. 

“We will never forget the love and happiness that she brought into our lives, and we know that she has touched many others the same way,” the statement read. 

In an Instagram post on Monday, January 1, Tippy also expressed her gratitude towards those who reached out to her during this ordeal. 

She added: “There are really no words to express the devastation and heartbreak the loss of my mom has caused us. Please bear with us as we try to figure out how to live without mama physically in our lives.” 

The singer-actress continued that their family is also trying to “process the tragedy” that cost Happy’s life. 

In an interview with ABS-CBN News, Tippy disclosed other details about the incident. She recalled that she was asleep when her dad started calling her. 

“He just told me na your mom and I got into an accident. They were just waiting for an ambulance and I remember he told me that he was not sure my mom was breathing,” she said. 

Tippy shared that she immediately started preparing to fly to South Korea. By 7 pm, she arrived there with her aunt and her aunt’s husband. 

When they arrived at the hospital, Tippy shared that the doctors told her that her mother suffered from  rib bleeding, fractures, head injury, and brain edema, while her dad sustained five to six fractured ribs and minor abdominal injury/trauma. 

“What was most heartbreaking the first time I saw her was how she’s not responsive and her tongue was just out and she was on a ventilator,” she told ABS-CBN News. 

Tippy said that it was on December 30 when the doctors told their family that there’s no longer brain stem activity in Happy.

“They told us there was really no hope for her,” she said. “That she was not gonna recover from the injury. And that’s when they asked us to prepare and to really just wait.” 

She added that the South Korean police are currently investigating the incident. – Rappler.com