A post shared by Kiefer Ravena (@kieferravena15) on Apr 27, 2018 at 7:48am PDT

He's been going through a tough time of late, dealing with his FIBA suspension that has prohibited him from playing competitive basketball.

But making Kiefer Ravena's difficult situation a little easier to handle is his girlfriend, volleyball star Alyssa Valdez, who has been the NLEX rookie's constant source of support. 

He made his heartfelt appreciation clear Thursday as he took to Instagram to greet Valdez on her birthday. Sharing a photo of his lady love, he wrote: "You stuck with me thru thick and thin."

A post shared by Kiefer Ravena (@kieferravena15) on Jun 28, 2018 at 9:07am PDT

"You deserve nothing but the best. Maraming nagmamahal sayo at sumosuporta sayo. Mapa-golf, volleyball o buhay man yan. Keep inspiring a lot of people. You have a smile that can light up the world. Happy birthday, Phenom. I love you," he added. 

A post shared by Kiefer Ravena (@kieferravena15) on Jun 12, 2018 at 5:35am PDT

A post shared by Kiefer Ravena (@kieferravena15) on Feb 14, 2018 at 9:03am PST

A post shared by Alyssa Valdez (@alyssa_valdez2) on Mar 4, 2018 at 5:53am PST

A post shared by Alyssa Valdez (@alyssa_valdez2) on Apr 28, 2018 at 6:58am PDT

Ravena was handed an 18-month suspension by FIBA for testing positive for three substances included in the Prohibited List of the World Anti-Doping Agency. He was tested after Gilas Pilipinas' game against Japan in the FIBA World Cup qualifiers in February. 

READ: What exactly are the 3 banned substances that got Kiefer suspended by FIBA

This also resulted in him also being barred from playing in the PBA for his NLEX team for the duration of his suspension, which will end on August 24, 2019.

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