These Stories From COVID-19 Frontliners Should Compel You To #StayHome

5 min read By eCompareMo on March 24, 2020

eCompareMo recognizes and thanks the following frontliners for their services and sacrifices during this time of need:

• Healthcare personnel
• Law enforcement officers
• Delivery truck drivers
• Manufacturing workers
• Grocery workers
• Pharmacy workers
• Bank employees
• And most especially, nurses and doctors

These modern-day heroes are working day and night to contain the spread of the COVID-19 disease in the country. To make sure they do their job well, we should do our part and #StayHome.

We’ve compiled a number of heartwarming, inspirational, and uplifting stories from COVID-19 frontliners.

Worth it

Our first story is a Facebook post from a frontliner from Las Pinas City. She shared on her news feed how she was about to enter a 24-hour shift at the hospital emergency room when, in just a snap, everything started to change.

From being a frontliner to a person under investigation (PUI) just after days of serving in the hospital, she said on her Facebook post that no matter how cautious one can be, no one is spared the disease. “I am a frontliner. For a couple of days, I am forced to retreat—to protect myself, my family, my colleagues, my patients and the community at large. I will dry my tears, I will regain my strength, I will re-ignite my passion. Then one day, I will be one again with all the healthcare frontliners—to be there for anyone who needs to be seen and taken care of—COVID-19 inflicted or not.”

A mom of two and expecting another one soon, she wouldn’t be caught dead not wearing personal protective equipment (PPE). According to her, she does that not because she is afraid of catching the disease but because she has her family to go home to.

Now that she is a PUI because of secondary exposure, she is currently battling not with the virus, but with herself, asking if even after all this time, is everything all worth it.

Of course, the answer will always be yes, it is worth it. What they do is more than just a job and a source of income—it is their passion. This is their purpose and will always be their purpose, which are from her own words.

Source: https://www.facebook.com/virgi.esquivel/posts/10219432921026254

(Read: Make ‘Work From Home’ Work For You With These Best Practices)

‘Your cooperation is our strength’

On a brighter side, a doctor from the Philippine Heart Center expressed her deepest gratitude and appreciation to those people who showed their love, concern, and support to the frontliners.

Battling with fear as they go fulfilling their duties every single day, the messages and acts of appreciation from the people are making their jobs bearable and all worth it.

She went on to acknowledge all the medical and non-medical staff who accepted their designations during this time of struggle brought by coronavirus. As medical practitioners, she said they do not want to be glorified by simply doing their jobs. However, they only wish that they can perform their everyday tasks well for the benefit of everyone.

More than anything else, they need understanding and cooperation from the public. In order to fight the spread of the virus and together end this nightmare, it’s not just them who will do their part. Most importantly, the whole country should stay home so they can do part in saving the country from COVID-19 without getting overwhelmed.

Source: https://www.facebook.com/paulaerikareyes.md/posts/10157500083624398

We’re all in this together

This post is from a resident doctor of the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) who shared how their situations as medical practitioners are continuously changing now that the number of cases of COVID-19 are increasing in our country.

Together with the fear of exposing other people to the virus unwantedly, “not knowing” is their greatest battle in these difficult times—not knowing enough information and understanding all about the spread of the disease.

As doctors, everyone is expecting them to learn every single thing about the virus. However, given the rapid and sudden spread of the disease, they only had limited time to study about it and this makes them feel inadequate because they know that as doctors, they should be the ones who are most knowledgeable about it.

More than anything else, it is the fear of being exposed to the virus and spreading it to other people, especially their family and loved ones, that worries them the most. With this, they make their greatest sacrifice, their time with their families—all for the good of everyone and for the lives that they are saving every single day.

Behind the smiles of our medical practitioners is the weight of the whole nation’s health on their shoulders. All they’re asking is for everyone to be responsible citizens and do their parts in fighting this pandemic.

Source: https://www.facebook.com/janine.g.mendoza.1/posts/10218989206413488

A fallen hero

This one is a story of a husband and wife who are both resident doctors and one of the many medical frontliners who chose to serve and work during this time of crisis despite the risk of exposing themselves to the virus.

Unfortunately, the husband passed away on March 22, 2020, due to secondary exposure to COVID-19. Meanwhile, his wife is in critical condition.

Hours before passing away, he left a heartfelt message to one of his colleagues.

“Good evening, my beloved brethren! The turn of events is just no longer going in my favor. The feeling you get, aside from extreme pains all over, difficulty of breathing and as if all life is being sucked from your body!

They will be putting cutdown lines and central tubes on me anytime soon! If they intubate me and place me on ventilator, then the game is almost over! If Ateng (referring to his wife) survives, then my wish for her and my son (who has autism) for a long and happy life will bear fruition!

My son however needs financial and emotional care for the rest of his life! Something I may no longer be able to fulfill! It Is my fervent hope that all of you may assist the rest of my Family in our most difficult times!”

The doctor passed on not long after that.

All he was hoping before he passed away is that his family and friends will help him finish his dream home and dedicate that in his memory.

Comments and shares outpoured from the doctor’s family and friends. Even some of their colleagues promised to look after their son as a tribute to his heroism.

These stories are just gentle reminders to the public that it’s not our lives we’re risking when we don’t follow the home quarantine measures. It is our frontliners, the ones who are mostly at risk, and all they’re asking is for us to do our part as concerned and responsible citizens.