‘I have experienced both sides of the battle’
It’s scary to see a patient not being able to breathe, running out of air, to see a patient get worse in a blink of an eye. Still, you need to be calm and have the presence of mind to do what you need to do.
Yes, things get hard but deep in my heart, it is the right thing to do. I took an oath. I do not see them as patients. They are someone’s dad or mom or husband or wife or child. So I treat them and give them medical attention as if they are my mom or my dad.
On breaks, I do video calls with my family and friends. I check on my friends who are health care workers. And I watch people do Tiktok! Physically, I’m OK, nothing cups of coffee and a little nap couldn’t fix. Emotionally, I’m keeping it together with prayers.
Stay at home please. Even at home, please do social distancing. This is serious. You do not want to experience what these patients go through. You do not want to be part of the statistics. Please pray.
I have experienced both sides of the battle. I was also a PUI (person under investigation) and now I have tested negative. I had needles stuck in me so many times. I was on medications and isolation and strict quarantine. I know how it feels—the fever, not being able to breathe and all the symptoms of COVID-19. I have asthma and am considered high risk but, I am a front-liner and I will do what I am called to do. —Dr. Bernice Navarro, surgeon, St. Luke’s Medical Center-Global City
‘Crises like this ignite the true calling of nurses’
A guy wearing a hazmat suit just brought boxes of N95 masks as a donation to our hospital.
The front-lines of the battle against COVID-19 are charged! Our protocols and workflows are being changed and adjusted and implemented in real time. It can be confusing. You have to stay on top of things.
Passion gives me the strength and endurance to do what I do. Crises like this ignite the true calling of nurses. There are very few nurses calling off work in our hospital now. We may be afraid of the possibility of contracting COVID-19, but the urge to perform our duties and help end this pandemic is greater.
I take breaks by doing yoga and cooking. I’m fine but there are days I feel overwhelmed.
Stay calm and enjoy the company of your loved ones at home. It is safer for you and very helpful in ending this pandemic. —Ave Pauline Ramos, nurse manager in a United States hospital
‘The fear is killing us but we will continue to fight’
I am not feeling well right now because I’m a PUI patient due to exposure to COVID-19 patients. I’m waiting for the results of my swab test. Being at the front lines is challenging. It’s scary to fight the invisible devil COVID-19. But my family, friends and colleagues give me strength to fight in this battle.
I talk to my family, especially my children on video call during breaks. Missing them so much makes my heart strong enough to surpass this crisis.
We wear our PPE (personal protecttive equipment) and take pictures or videos but deep inside, the fear that we might get the virus soon is killing us. But we continue to fight and we will win as one!
Pray. Pray for me and the other front-liners. Follow the government. Stay still and we will all surpass this battle! —Abegail Dela Cruz Añola, nurse 1, Sta. Ana Hospital