Philippiens Frontliners share personal stories (2) Leomila Alcalde, ER Nurse

I am a first-line nurse in the emergency department of Tongduo Medical Center.
To be a nurse has always been my dream. I want to take care of the sick. I believe this is my service for people in need, especially my fellow Filipinos.
After the pandemic began, my life changed drastically. Becoming a nurse has never been an easy task, but, at least before COVID-19, I spent a lot of time with my family. Now, I rarely go home. We need to isolate ourselves from our family.
However, I still think this work is very useful.
Sometimes I am worried; I report 40 hours a week. Being a positive thinker can help me cope. Even I have a positive attitude towards COVID, but I still think that my positive thinking and the support of my family and friends helped me recover quickly.
Obtaining COVID-19 is very challenging. You can’t help asking yourself questions such as “Will I recover?”, “Who will take care of my family?” However, you can find strength in many ways-from my family, colleagues and friends, especially from God Gain strength.
We have experienced special front-line passages in some agencies, some agencies provide us with shelter and transportation, and other agencies provide us with “ayuda” (Philippine aid clause). Support can be overwhelming.
However, there are still cases of discrimination against our frontline personnel. We are facing a pandemic, and even if we are in danger, we will do our best to provide services. Fair, this is what I mean to tell the discriminators. Hope and pray that we can cure COVID-19 and take better preventive measures.
We also hope that things will return to normal soon. But until we get there, please continue to support us.