Previously, it became a widely discussed topic that drew overwhelming support from fans when May Jiranan Kijprasarn ran away from home, prompting her mother to announce a search on social media, turning it into major news. Eventually, May returned home safely.
Recently, May and her mother openly shared about the biggest life crisis they faced after enduring accumulated stress from the economic downturn and income problems, nearly losing hope due to being deceived by a fraudster disguised as a lover, until a monk helped restore her awareness and saved her life.
How is your family doing now?
May: "My mother is happy and we understand each other better now. She has adjusted and recently had some beauty treatments, so she's feeling happier."
What happened leading up to this?
May: "It was a buildup over time, starting with economic issues, then problems with work and business. Repeated disappointments caused accumulated stress. I have two mothers, and when something happens, my mother is the one who listens because I tend to keep things to myself and don’t know who else to confide in. She’s the closest person to me."
When I was stressed and repeatedly disappointed, my mother absorbed my suffering as I vented to her. Then, when someone came to harm me, everything just overwhelmed me at once."
From your perspective, what did you experience?
May: "At that point, I felt like giving up on everything. When someone hurt me like that—something I’d never experienced before—it changed my worldview. But I have to thank my mother for pulling me back, encouraging me, forgiving me, and supporting me. Also, a small group of fans who sympathized and supported both of us helped me get through that time. I’m grateful to everyone."
How did you both cope with what happened?
Mother: "I had to be very patient. Absorbing the negative energy that affected my child meant I had to protect my own heart too. I tried to understand and hold our family together. But there were times I struggled because it was just the two of us. My child’s suffering became mine, yet I couldn’t do much except give encouragement."
I felt like I failed somehow—wondering why I couldn’t protect my child from such a bad person. I felt like a mother who couldn’t care for her child as before and blamed myself, but I also sympathized because she carried so much."
In the past, we helped each other, but as I’ve gotten older, I can’t support her in every way anymore, so the burden fell mostly on her. I tried to understand her, but sometimes I felt frustrated and couldn’t speak firmly. One day I did say something harsh, which affected her emotionally."
That’s when I realized we couldn’t stay in that situation. I tried to find a middle ground, figuring out how to hold the family together through the hard times and help my child return to work, because during her worst problems, she wanted nothing—not even her life."
I decided to ordain as a monk. She said, "I'm glad you will ordain, so I can stop worrying." But she didn’t really mean that; she thought if I ordained, she’d be left alone."
Are you referring to ending her life?
May: "I went through the worst part of it, but my mother kept pulling me back. She even took me to practice Dharma with a respected teacher, who called to perform a ritual to save my life."
Mother: "That day was the darkest for me because my child wanted nothing. She felt the world was cruel. Once strong, after many painful events, she said, 'Mom, please save my life. Let me have it back. My life is mine to choose.'"
Those words made me call a respected monk (Phra Kru Thai) to help because I couldn’t handle it anymore. The monk performed a life-saving ritual. She regained awareness from that day—this was long before recent events."
When we talked about what to do with our family, I had to adjust, try to understand her more, and learn to be with myself. I realized I had been too attached to her, always wanting to be by her side like a shadow, which sometimes made her uncomfortable, though she never said so."
May: "She was worried about telling me that because it was just the two of us. If my mother didn’t stop and I wasn’t strong or stable yet, and we weren’t married, she feared what would happen if I wasn’t here. So she pushed me to do everything, wanting me to succeed. When drama broke out, some said it was because my mother pressured or made it worse, but actually,"
my mother never forced me. Whether I wanted to do something or stay in the industry, or when I chose not to renew my contract, I decided that myself, and she supported me."
Regarding the person who harmed me—the fraudster—my mother didn’t hide it. Later, she saw he was bad, which was true. He was a fraudster who deceived us. Everything happened very fast, and because it was so sudden, I wondered why my mother had to make decisions for me. At that time, I was still 50-50, not disbelieving her, but I had never been deceived before. I never thought someone could be that bad. In the end, what my mother warned about really happened."
Was the conflict between you and your mother caused by this relationship?
May: "As I said, it started from love, hope, and wanting to care. My mother never interfered with my past relationships; I made those choices myself. But this last one was a fraudster who got close to my mother too."
He knew how to approach—dining together, meeting a few times, and my mother went along two or three times. It was all very smooth. At first, I thought because he was a fraudster, he staged everything quickly in just two to three months of dating."
Can you share the financial losses?
May: "Oh, I haven’t lost money because my mother sensed something early on."
Mother, what made you suspect he was deceitful or bad?
Mother: "At first, I felt he was non-existent because his social media and channels had no clear presence. But I tried to give him a chance since he seemed good and wanted to get to know us. However, he often said one thing but changed his story, like postponing visits to my mother or meeting his parents repeatedly. It all seemed fake."
May, what made you trust him so much you didn’t suspect deception?
May: "He knew what I liked and was very considerate. He knew I liked praying and Dharma, so he aligned with that, chanting and so on. I thought, 'Wow, a good person.' Now I realize you can’t judge by appearances; you have to test."
When did you realize he was deceiving you?
May: "When he kept postponing, making up stories, and became toxic, manipulating me to worry a lot. He said he was depressed and suicidal, which scared me because I feared being the cause of someone’s death. There were many stories. My mother saw that our relationship was sinking, and I was sinking too. She started to break apart, but I felt I was an adult. It all happened so fast, which made me wonder if my mother was interfering."
Mother: "Yes, he started feeling we were opposing or blocking him, but I saw many things clearly."
May: "But my mother can be harsh when angry, which made me spiral."
Is that why you ran away from home?
May: "Yes, I was scolded and already feeling low. He used his 'depression' as a tactic, and my mother drew a line, telling me to break it off. I didn’t know what to choose, so I was kicked out and scolded harshly. I left."
How did you feel? Did you wonder why this happened to you?
May: "I think it might be karma from past lives. I’m sure I haven’t harmed or deceived anyone in this life. I never thought someone would dare hurt me. So I think it’s karma, and I accept it and forgive. He doesn’t bother me anymore because when it went to the police, he got scared and stopped contacting me. I don’t want to meet him."
When you and your mother reconciled, did you ever feel like telling her not to interfere?
May: "It wasn’t like that exactly; it was more like, 'Mom, I don’t want to live anymore.' I didn’t want to die at that moment, but running away was my way of ending my life. My mother didn’t approve of the relationship, and he threatened suicide. I also had personal and work stress, and I didn’t know how to solve it. Everything piled up, so I felt like giving up."
When my mother brought me back, we didn’t understand each other at first, but after the monk’s life-saving ritual, we practiced Dharma together. My mother began to understand me better. We went from harsh exchanges to calm conversations. My fans and work gradually improved, and I accepted reality and let go more."
Did you have depression at that time?
May: "I saw a doctor before these events and took medication. They said I was just starting to experience stress from economic and work problems. I took medicine for about a month, but after that, I don’t think I was depressed."
Now that you’re talking again as just the two of you, what promises do you make to each other?
Mother: "I didn’t make any promises, but I reflected on whether I loved or worried about her too much. She told me, 'Mom, I’m an adult now, I’m 42.' At first, I felt angry, but then I thought maybe she was right. I should let her make her own decisions."
I realized that telling her what to do came from my worry because she has no father or other advisors—it’s just us two. I pushed her to wake up and focus on work, which made me think, 'Am I pressuring her too much?' So I started stepping back and letting her live her own life and make her own decisions, which softened everything. I adjusted myself a lot first."
One day, when I went to practice Dharma at Sathirathammasathan, after a recent argument, I decided to go somewhere to find peace. The nun there told me I should let her decide her own life despite giving birth to her. My role is to encourage and embrace her if she makes mistakes. That changed me and helped us understand each other better."
The nun said, 'Life belongs to your child. We must change ourselves. She must decide and live her life. We just support and embrace her when she errs.' That made me change everything, improving our understanding."
Finally, is there anything you want to say to comfort your mother?
May: "I want to thank my mother for understanding me. She has adjusted a lot. I’m not perfect—I’ve said harsh words and shouted—but I’ve also tried to ease things for her. I’m grateful she understands and always gives me chances. I’m glad she’s happy now after getting some beauty treatments."
Mother: "We didn’t make promises but changed through actions. She’s also changed a lot, adjusting herself automatically when she notices things I dislike. Actions matter more than words. If I disappear someday, I told her I’d be at the cosmetic hospital."
May: "Yes (laughs), getting fillers and lip work."
Mother: "I’m taking care of my heart and myself now. Before, I neglected my body and mind because I was too focused on my child. Mental health is important; it changes how you view everything. My face is still swollen after 22 days, but it’s tightening. Thank you very much."
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