Rodelle Borja is a Registered General Nurse at Tara Winthrop Private Clinic in Dublin. He moved to Ireland on January 8, 2018. Rodelle has three other Filipino colleagues – Norwinna Aquino, Juvy Hilongos, and Aimee Kenny who are also very dedicated to their nursing and healthcare profession.
Hailing from Pasonanca, Zamboanga City, we are proud to share that Rodelle is also Ireland’s Got Talent 2019 Finalist. His fascinating voice has wowed a global audience and he continues to use singing as an opportunity to unwind and get away from stress at work.
Rodelle’s talent doesn’t end there. This young migrant is also a gifted writer. Below is just one of his thought-provoking articles about encouraging social distancing or flattening the curve during the coronavirus crisis:
March 17, 2020
By Rodelle Borja
A lot of people at present are talking about how to “flatten the curve” of the rapidly-spreading COVID-19 pandemic.
The “curve” referred to is the parabola of a pandemic, the latest one being COVID-19. As the virus infects more people, the curve steepens and can lead to an exponential curve if worse comes to worst, wherein millions of people around the world are infected and only goes back down when the maximum number of people around the world have already been infected and recovery or death happens.
Epidemiologists claim that the curve could be significantly flattened by implementing transmission-based precautions and practicing the so-called “social distancing”. The latter means avoiding contact with other people and staying at home as much as possible.
Minimizing the possibility of transmitting the novel coronavirus through reduced person to person contact doesn’t only mean protecting the health and safety of the elderly and vulnerable population, it also mitigates a major public health issue: overburdened hospitals. A sudden upsurge of coronavirus cases will most likely overwhelm hospitals and health care workers. There won’t be enough hospital beds to care for the sick, or ICU beds for the critically ill; and in the worst case scenario, doctors will be forced to make devastating decisions on who gets treatment and who does not.
This dismal picture is already happening in Italy, and as a nurse here in Ireland, I can see that if we don’t do anything to mitigate the current situation, we’re certainly bound to face the same fate.
A few weeks later after writing this piece, he contracted coronavirus himself. He shared his experience in battling and surviving the illness on his Facebook page in hopes of raising awareness for everyone to stay home and keep safe.
Rodelle is a cum laude graduate of Western Mindanao State University and 16th placer at the 2009 Philippine Nursing Licensure Exam.
Here is his semi final performance of the classic “Always on My Mind” which can now be watched in HD on Ireland’s Got Talent official channel.
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If you know of any Filipinos in Ireland who are working beyond the call of duty to support the Irish community, please let us know. Thank you.
