Doc Virgie (12.6.20)

A handsome lady even at 75, "Doc Virgie" is a regular patient who undergoes chemotherapy at a private hospital in Manila. She has been under our care since the ECQ began and we have become friends right off the bat!

I adore this lovely woman and I make the most of the travel time by making sure she's comfortable and that we always engage in intelligent conversation befitting of her stature.

In this age of limited human contact and anonymity, it is always a joy to be called by name and to interact as a human being. I have a very special place in my heart for old ladies as they remind me of my mom and lolas and grand aunts. The fact that the "doktora" is a gynecologist makes our bond even stronger as my grandma on my father's side was also an OB-GYN.

Adding to the affinity is Doc Virgie's roots as she hails from Pangasinan, a province I pass each time I go home to Baguio.

I've lived many lives in the half-century I've existed. My current incarnation only seems like a natural progression from my previous life. In the past, I've been accustomed to giving orders left and right. This time, I am a nobody taking orders from younger, more experienced colleagues. I do mundane chores like cleaning up after patients, changing bed linen while at high speed, and washing the beloved "workhorse".

I feel no shame, loss of dignity or lack of glamor in what I do. Somehow, Summer taught me that and I miss her dearly.

Although this is a job that will not make one a millionaire, it is a vocation that is immensely fulfilling. It has become my path to enlightenment. After all, there is no material thing you can take with you when you go but there will be tons of goodwill and wisdom I will leave behind.


#SeamedEMS

#ArmedsafeEMT

#ambularyo

#livealegend

#summer

#faith


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