“Pagkatapos noon, iyak nalang ang narinig ko, iyak niya, iyak ko na rin.”
Filipina doctor Alinaya Cordero had this to say as she recalled the time she called a mother—who is an overseas Filipino worker (OFW)—to tell her that her daughter had died from COVID-19.
In a Facebook post August 25, Cordero shared that her 28-year-old patient died of COVID-19. She was her younger patient who contracted the disease.
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“Kausap ko ang ina ng pinakabata kong pasyente na tinamaan ng COVID, 28 taong-gulang, na nasa ibang bansa ngayon, para ipaalam na siguro ang pinakamasakit na salita na pwedeng marinig ng isang ina at pinakamasakit na salita na pwedeng masabi ng isang doktor, ‘Wala na po sya, mam’,” Cordero said.
“At ganoon nalang, matapos ang sampung araw na inilaban namin ang anak niya, tinawag na sya sa langit. Sigurado akong sa langit sya mapupunta, nararamdaman ko, basta,” she added.
Cordero said she could not imagine how the OFW mother feels upon learning that her daughter had died from COVID-19, especially when she is far away.
“Ako rin ay anak ng mga OFW, simula’t simula pagkabata ay nasa ibang bansa na sila. Kaya ramdam ko ang lungkot at pangungulila ng ina ng pasyente ko. Uuwi sya, makikita nalang nya abo ng ang anak niya,” Cordero said.
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Cordero admitted that such losses make the people at the hospital think if they are losing the fight against the pandemic, especially when the lives lost are of such a young age.
“Pero kanina rin, habang nagtitingin ako sa phone ko, naalala ko tong videocall namin ng dati ko ring pasyente, isang araw bago nangyari ito. Siya rin yung minsan ding nilaban namin sa COVID,” Cordero said.
“Matagal din ang nilabi sa ICU, halos isang buwan. Parang konti nalang, bibigay na at konti nalang bibigay na kami. Pero hindi pa niya oras eh, binigyan pa kami ng pagkakataon na pauwiin sya at makapiling ang mga mahal nya sa buhay,” she added. (NM)
