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Pinay nurse's brave fight against COVID-19 inspires Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed

A Filipina nurse who works in an infectious disease unit of the Department of Health Authority (DHA) shared her story of courage with His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces.
Jessa Dawn Ubag, who hails from Dumaguete City, treats the virtual meeting with His Highness as once in a lifetime opportunity.
The Filipino nurse was part of the third episode of a virtual majlis entitled, “Standing Together: Our Healthcare Response to COVID-19”.
During the virtual conference, His Highness listened to a series of stories straight from a number of frontliners whom he described as a source of honorable pride.
Jessa related the story of a young patient she was assigned to, “I remember two months ago I was assigned to a patient in her late 20s… She was previously healthy when she came, but she had high-grade fever and cough. She was breathless. Thus she was needed to be in the ventilator… She was diagnosed of COVID-19.”
With no visitors allowed, Jessa did the extra mile to reassure the patient’s family that she was recovering well.
“I would always call her family back home and inform them of her general medical condition. With my fervent prayers and my personal protective equipment (PPE) as my sheild, I would bravely enter her isolation room and performed the tasks needed of me as a nurse.”
Armed with helmet, glove, face shield, mask and protective clothing in the duration of her 8-hour shift, Jessa said, “I choose to bravely put on my shield and enter the war zone with an unseen enemy, because I believe that this is my calling as a nurse.”
After three weeks of active treatment, that patient she was discharged from the hospital after testing negative from COVID-19.
For Jessa, the stories of recoveries drive her to continue the fight, “My work is physically, sometimes mentally and emotionally draining, but stories of hope and successful recoveries from my patients prove that there is always a light in the end of a dark tunnel.”
Towards the end, His Highness asked about Jessa’s family in the Philippines, to which she replied, “My mother is worried back home, but I constantly reassure her that I am perfectly fine. Her daily prayers for me help me a lot and gives me the driving force to face each day in work.”
His Highness extended his best regards to Jessa’s mother. “Tell her that you are with your second family.”

Staff Report

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