Roxanne Villahermosa Acocoro Capacite is an Emergency Nurse at the A&E Department of St. Michael’s Hospital in Dun Laoghaire. She moved from Cebu City to Ireland in 2000 and earned her nursing qualifications at University College Dublin. Her husband Dennis Capacite is a Healthcare Assistant at Mater Private Hospital in Dublin.
Here is Roxanne’s raw piece on what really happens when you contract coronavirus:
“Make no mistake. When loved ones are removed from your home by ambulance because the virus has hit them hard, you are not going to be able to follow them there, sit by their hospital bed and hold their hand. You are not going to be able to pop in at 7:00 pm for visiting hours. They are going to have no one other than exhausted and brave hospital staff to see them through days or weeks of barely breathing through a ventilator until they either die or recover. They are not going to be well enough to text you.
You are not going to be able to phone the ward to check in on them regularly (staff will be too busy for that). During that time, they will be completely alone, while you sit at home waiting to hear whether they have made it through.
Imagine that person is someone you love dearly. Because it’s going to be a reality for many in the coming weeks.
And if that person in hospital happens to be you, going through that ordeal completely alone, it would be nothing less than terrifying.
Never in my life have I wanted so strongly to say that if anyone is not feeling even a little afraid right now, not only for themselves but for their loved ones and others in general, then they are a bloody fool.
Don’t be a fool, stay safe!”
Powerful words that depict reality or the new normal, written by a person fighting in the battlefield. Let us brace ourselves and take things seriously. We salute you, Roxanne and your husband, and the rest of the workers in the healthcare industry here in Ireland and around the world, for being the brave warriors fighting the battle against COVID. Please keep safe and be strong.
If you know of any Filipino in Ireland who are working beyond the call of duty to support the Irish community, please let us know. Thank you.
