 Following the launch of her book, van Ruyven was recognized by People Asia Magazine as one of the awardees of the 2005 People of the Year in the Philippines  and won an Honorable Mention for Best Non-Fiction Book at the Independent Publisher Award in Western Canada.Van Ruyven was born in a rural village in Pader, Batangas, Philippines to a family of 12 siblings.Her father was a family driver and her mother a vendor.