Enlightening – that’s how he described his experience

Meet Ron. 41 years old, a husband and father of two, and a doctor. He currently works as a company physician, and he does home care consultation as well. Little did he know that his life would turn around in just a flash.

It was July 28 when he first felt it – sore throat, high fever, headache, difficulty in breathing, muscle, and chest pain. Because he has a hunch that these symptoms lead to something more serious, he took a swab test that same day. He immediately told his family about his situation and quarantined himself right after. 

“During the first day of symptoms, while there was still no result, being a doctor, I have a high suspicion that I have COVID. But of course, I’m still wishing to have a negative swab result because being positive means being away from family, not able to work for my family,  and I should be in isolation,” he stated. 

Three days later, his result came out, and it was the most painful thing for Ron. “So when I was informed that my COVID RT-PCR already came out, I was anxious. Of course, being an optimistic person, I was hoping that the result of the swab test is negative, even though I have a high suspicion that I have COVID. So when I saw the result and knew that I was positive, it was heartbreaking. I was so sad,” he said. The chances with him contracting the virus from one of his patients are high since some of the patients he saw turned out to be positive with the virus.

As days go by, the shortness of breath becomes severe. After a week, Ron went to the hospital to have a chest x-ray. It’s his tenth day already, so he was allowed to go out since he is not infectious anymore. However, on that same day, August 7, Ron was admitted to the hospital due to Pneumonia.  

He took a swab test the next day, and unfortunately, the result is still positive. Ron continued to fight, even though the virus is not an easy opponent. Four days later, he then took another swab test. On August 15, the result came out and relief courses through his body as it read negative. “Of course, I hold on to God. I gave Him everything. I gave Him all my burdens. I believe that whatever happens to me is His will. And I am determined to survive and fight for my family. I have two little kids that need love and support not only from their mom but also from a dad,” he explained. Fortunately, he was discharged from the hospital the next day.

Battling with the virus was never easy, and it can affect a person emotionally, physically, and mentally. Despite the struggles and uncertainties, Ron continued to fight for his life. “I fought to live because I still have a lot of things to do. Be there for my siblings and their families. I want to be there for my mom since she is old, and being a doctor, I will be able to monitor her health most importantly. I still want to do medical/surgical missions to places that are not reached by doctors. I want to lead people in the church with my new found ministry, which is music,” he shared. 

Along his journey, Ron has learned a lot of things that people usually fail to notice:

1. Life is short, and we don’t know until when we will be in this world. We shouldn’t take anything or anyone for granted.

2. Time is something that we cannot take back. We should spend it wisely with people who matter.

3. We should focus on people that matter – like our family, close friends, and not on material things. We should prioritize them rather than acquiring material things and things that waste our time.

4. We should act on our dreams, aspirations in life as soon as we can, as we may not have a chance later on.

5. Apologize and make peace now to people that we have hurt or we have done wrong.

6. Life is not about material things nor money.

7. Inner peace is the most important treasure one has.

8. Don’t hesitate to share good words or small acts of kindness to others because it can have a great impact on the rest of their lives.

9. Give time to relatives and friends. Go visit them once in a while, as you may not see them again. Giving them a small part of our time is more important than giving them material gifts.

“We only have one life so we should take good care of it. We should not abuse our bodies,” he added. Now, Ron also helps other people by doing charity work such as donating PPEs to hospitals, providing rice for construction workers, and doing free online consultation to enlighten and guide the people about the virus, especially the ones infected with Coronavirus.

This pandemic has brought devastating effects to the people and the whole world, but we can’t deny that it made us realize and look back on how we are living our lives. Time should not be taken for granted, and neither our life.