“The Filipino is worth dying for,” so said Benigno Simeón “Ninoy” Aquino Jr., one of the Philippines’ most iconic heroes. However, with the COVID-19 sweeping the world, and the DOH making the wrong move of calling the Filipino healthcare workers to arms with the hardly enticing, even insulting salary of only ₱500 a day, it is worth noting that there are still thousands of Filipino nurses valiantly fighting on the frontlines.
However,
like any battle, fighting on the frontlines may result in casualties, and that
is exactly what had happened to these Filipino Nurses in the past weeks.
The Filipino
Nurse extends its condolences to the families and friends of these valiant
Filipino Nurses.
Noel Sinkiat
Howard
University Hospital, Washington, D.C.
41 Years
of Service
March 27,
2020
“A lot of
people there at Howard really loved him. He was a very good nurse.”
Mr. Noel
Sinkiat, R.N., was your consummate healthcare professional. According to his
widow, Lourdes Gerardo, Mr. Sinkiat was very vigilant with sanitizing their
home’s entrypoints and crucial surfaces. He was fastidious about keeping their
home clean and germ-free, and yet, ironically, it was he who had caught the
virus and fallen fatally to its complications.
Mr. Sinkiat
and Ms. Gerardo had come home from the Philippines in late February. They had
attended Ms. Gerardo’s high school reunion, and their trip seemed like the
perfect respite from their hectic daily lives. Mr. Sinkiat returned to work at
Howard University Hospital on March 12, 2020, rendering his usual 12-hour
shift. On the 22nd of March, he experienced flu-like symptoms, which
he had chalked up to his seasonal allergies. He visited an urgent-care facility
in Olney, Maryland, where he was tested for COVID-19. At the time, the results
had not yet been released.
On the 27th
of March, he needed to be checked into a hospital, where he was intubated, and
a resuscitation was attempted. However, Mr. Sinkiat’s heart failed, and he eventually
expired. His COVID-19 tests came back after his death, and they were positive.
Ms. Gerardo
is still mourning the loss, describing that losing her lifelong love had been
“so fast.”
“I keep
thinking any day, he is going to walk through the door,” Ms. Gerardo told The Washington Post.
Ms. Gerardo
also noted that “I got better, but he didn’t.”
She has also
told The Washington Post that her family remains healthy and shows no sign of
illness. It is remarkable, as the family includes a 4-month-old grandson and an
immunocompromised son.
Mr. Sinkiat
is survived by his wife Ms. Lourdes Gerardo and two children.
COVID-19
swept up Mr. Sinkiat and kept him from a motorcycle trip that he had looked
forward to when he planned to retire in December. He had served as a nurse for
41 whole years.
Rest in
peace, and thank you for your service and care for your patients, Mr. Sinkiat.
Araceli Buendia Ilagan
Jackson
Memorial Hospital, Miami, Florida
33 Years
of Service
March 27,
2020
She was the guiding light of her niece, an ICU nurse in a British hospital, as well as countless other nurses. She was extremely sympathetic with her patients, earning their affection and admiration long after they have parted ways. Such was her dedication to her oath and calling, that she had reportedly turned down promotions, just to be able to still stay as a bedside nurse.
But then,
that decision could have been her downfall, or so her close colleague, Ms.
Martha Baker, R.N., and president of Jackson Memorial’s union for doctors and
nurses, reveals to The NewYork Times.
“I guarantee
you. She was in every single room helping every single nurse with every single
patient. That was probably her doom. To be such a good leader, and such a
hands-on leader. She exposed herself, perhaps at that time to patients we
didn’t even know were COVID-positive.”
Valiant
dedication at the cost of one’s own life is called heroism, martyrdom. And this
is the consequence of Ms. Ilagan’s choice to stay with her patients to the very
end.
On the 24th
of March, 2020, Ms. Ilagan developed symptoms. Only three days later, her body
gave up the fight at age 63.
Her life has
touched countless others’ lives. Thank you, Ms. Ilagan, for giving your
patients your heart so generously. You will not be forgotten.
Divina “Debbie” Amo-Accad
John D.
Dingell Medical Center/Detroit VA Medical Center, Detroit, Michigan
25+ Years
of Service
March 30,
2020
“She’s a hero for what she did,” Divina “Debbie” Amo-Accad’s son Mark Accad told The Guardian and Kaiser Health News regarding his mother’s demise. Up to her last days, even at the age of 72, she had been doing her life’s work—caring for people and assisting her co-workers as a Clinical Nursing Coordinator. Even after falling ill, Mark Accad related that she was more preoccupied with her family’s health than her own.
This
dedication to caring for others may have caused her demise.
Not minding
her own risk factor for COVID-19, diabetes, Ms. Accad worked as usual in March
2020. Part of her duties as a Clinical Nursing Coordinator was supervising
other nurses and stepping in to help them with caring for patients. Mark Accad
relates that he does not know whether she had been wearing Personal Protective
Equipment (PPE), although the Detroit VA Medical Center has released a
statement that they, as a health institution, upholds its healthcare workers’
safety above all.
In the flow
of her daily life and duties, Ms. Accad started to fall ill on the 16th
of March, 2020. Three days later, on the 19th of March, Ms. Accad
reported feeling better after taking Acetaminophen/Tylenol. However, on the 20th
of March, she had to be hospitalized for pneumonia. On the 30th of
March, 2020, she joined the rest of the gallant healthcare workers who put
others’ lives above their own.
[Regarding
the viral social media message that spread regarding how Ibufropen could worsen
COVID-19 symptoms, please refer to FactCheck.org, WebMD, and healthline
for more information.]
“She died
doing what she loved most. That was caring for people. […] She sacrificed her
life for our troops. I want my mom to be known for what she did.”
Mark Accad
wants his mom honored for her service and sacrifice for the US Veterans. Having
given over 25 years of her life to this vocation, she truly deserves a hero’s
honor.
Ms. Debbie
Accad was a Centralian, a graduate of Iloilo’s Central Philippine University.
Your Alma Mater is proud of you, Ma’am. Rest in peace in the arms of our
Heavenly Father.
***
Thank you
for taking a moment with The Filipino Nurse in honoring our fallen medical
heroes. Hop on to next week’s edition, as we bring you stories of service and
self-sacrifice, as given by The Filipino Nurse.
***
Photo Credits:
Noel Sinkiat:
- Filipino American National Historical Society (FANHS)'s Facebook Page
- Lourdes Gerardo's Facebook Account
- The Rappler's Facebook Page
Araceli Buendia Ilagan:
Divina "Debbie" Amo-Accad:
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