The multi-titled champion once almost gave up on volleyball.
Prodigies and phenomenal careers are the exception, not the rule. For most athletes, success isn’t a straight line — and the destination isn’t clear. This is certainly true for PVL champion Jema Galanza, who struggled throughout her UAAP career with the Adamson Lady Falcons.
“For five years sa UAAP, hindi po ako nakapasok ng Final Four. Feeling ko, ano ba minamalas ba ako, hindi ba para sa akin itong volleyball?” Jema shared, getting canding on our exclusive interview on the ‘Go Hard Girls’ podcast. “Kasi iyon din ang time na kailangan ko na mag-isip kung kailangan ko na bang ituloy ang volleyball or magwo-work nalang ba ako . . . Malas ba talaga ako sa volleyball? Minahal ko naman siya bakit hindi naman binigay sa akin ang gusto ko?”
Jema had debuted as a reserve player for Adamson in UAAP Season 76, and proved herself in the beach volleyball tournament before finally making the starting lineup for indoor volleyball in Season 77. But even though her coaches called her “the heart and soul” of the team, and she eventually became team captain, Jema was plagued by physical injuries.
In July 2017, she collapsed due to fatigue and dehydration, and just two months later, she suffered a serious ankle injury — a dislocation so bad, that her team covered her face so she wouldn’t see the extent of the injury. But Jema says that while she could recover from the physical troubles, her mental health was on a downward spiral from the combined frustration of not making the Final Four, the pressure of being a leader, and her personal problems outside the court.
“Sobrang bigat na kailangan mong maging matatag sa harap ng mga teammates mo na parang wala akong problema. Pero minsan, hindi mo talaga kasi maiwasan kung ganoon na rin talaga kabigat. Noong time na iyon, talagang hindi ko siya naco-control,” she admitted.
“Nawawalan na talaga ako ng pag-asa. Hindi lang sa volleyball career ko pati sa life. Gusto ko lang isuko na iyong mga gusto kong pangarap para sa sarili ko at saka sa family ko,” she shared. “Lagi lang akong nagtatanong kay God, ano ba, ano ba nag gusto mong mangyari para sa akin? Kailangan ko ba talagang pagdaanan 'tong ganitong kabigat na problema?”
It took Jema reaching rock bottom to recover.
“Talagang kailangan mo pagdaanan ang mga ganoong klase sa life. Kahit na minamahal mo ang mga ginagawa mo, kailangan mo pa rin pumunta sa pinakababa. Hanggang sa natutunan ko na kailangan ko bumangon ulit,” Jema said.
Jema drew strength from her family, reminding herself who she was striving for. She added, “Sila lang naman talaga ang inspirasyon ko sa lahat ng ginagawa ko. May mga hindi ako magagandang iniisip sa sarili ko, pero lagi ulit papasok iyong image ng family ko, na kailangan mong tatagan ang sarili mo 'di ba? Kasi umaasa sila sayo. Malaki ang tiwala nila sa'yo.”
And so she decided to give volleyball another chance — or rather, give herself another chance. Instead of giving up, she chose to continue with her sports career, taking it one step at a time and letting go of the pressure to succeed that had become so heavy over the years.
“Mahalin mo sarili mo” became her statement to live by. In the Creamline Cool Smashers, she found a support system, renewed her love for the game, and finally attained the on-court success that eluded her for so long. Now a 5-time PVL champion, Jema hopes that younger people who face mental health issues don’t give up.
As Jema put it: “Lagi mo din iisipin na matatapos din ang lahat ng pinagdaanan mo. And after niyan, kapag nalagpasan mo siya, as in ma-feel mo na . . . Ito na ako ngayon, babangon na. Babawi na ako para sa sarili ko.”