WISH LIST Rubin Cura (right) hopes the country will have more hospitals, test kits and facilities to allow more people to be tested for COVID-19. Front-liners, he adds, should be given more protective gear and better remuneration as they dedicate their lives to fighting the disease. PHOTO FROM RUBIN CURA
MANILA, Philippines — Lawyer Rubin Cura has just won his biggest battle — not inside a courtroom but in a hospital where he fought and beat the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
“[Fighting] COVID-19 is much tougher. In court battles, you can more or less gauge your chances of winning depending on the merits of your legal position. In my fight against COVID-19, there was really uncertainty. You really just have to submit your position to the mercy of the ultimate judge, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,” Cura told the Inquirer.
The 52-year-old lawyer for a private firm was found positive for the virus on March 21, more than two weeks after he was exposed to a COVID-19-positive person at a gathering.
“I feared for my life especially after seeing the scary news showing the number of deaths almost every day. I couldn’t imagine the idea of dying without my wife and my son beside me,” he said.
Recalling his ordeal, Cura said he was symptomatic from the start. “I had dry cough, fever, diarrhea and headaches. The feeling was very similar to flu. General weakness of the body was predominant,” he said. He started feeling unwell while he was in his office on March 9. His temperature was slightly elevated so the company doctor gave him flu medication. But there was no improvement in his condition the next day so he stayed home.
On March 12, he had a fever and experienced chills so he went to Makati Medical Center where doctors asked if he had gone to a country with COVID-19 cases in the last 14 days or if he had contact with a positive person. Since his reply to both questions was no, they sent him home.
Concerned friend
A friend who “sounded so concerned,” however, called him up the next day and told him to get himself checked since one of the people at the gathering had tested positive.
Cura said he and his family went back to the hospital where doctors tagged him a person under investigation (PUI). He immediately sent his wife and son home while he was placed in an isolation tent along with other PUIs.
On March 14, he was given a swab test. “It was very painful when it was inserted in the nostrils,” he said. It would take a week for the results to come back.
From an isolation room, he was moved to a regular room where he was subjected to many tests, including X-rays, which showed he had pneumonia. His first few nights in confinement, according to Cura, were tough. “I had difficulty sleeping. I perspired a lot at night even with the air conditioning on.”
His fears also led to dreams about open canals or dark underworld creatures. But after his friends, fellow Bedans Raymund Cadiz and Chito Jimenez, a preacher, organized a prayer group for him, the nightmares stopped.
“At first, I almost lost hope because of the scary news I often see on TV. But after I lifted up to God all my fears, worries and anxieties, I became hopeful and started to feel optimistic,” he said.
Constant monitoring
Because he was diabetic, Cura said doctors had to keep his blood sugar level under control to prevent complications. They frequently checked his oxygen levels to be certain he did not experience difficulty in breathing. X-ray tests were also done regularly to make sure his pneumonia did not worsen.
“[The] atmosphere in the hospital wasn’t so bad even if I was isolated. The doctors, nurses and medical staff as well as the orderlies and housekeeping staff were very pleasant and treated me with utmost care and compassion. They never showed any form of discrimination. They never feared for themselves that they might get infected,” he said.
“I really commend all doctors, nurses, housekeeping. They treated me with competence and compassion …. They extended my life,” he added.
His condition improved over the next days and before the end of March, he tested negative twice for COVID-19, leading to his discharge from the hospital on April 1.
Still in isolation
Cura has since gone home to Pasay City where he will remain in isolation and under the monitoring of the City Health Office until April 14. He is now the second resident to recover from the disease although eight have died while 65 others are confirmed COVID-19 cases.
He frequently communicates with his family and friends through social media. According to him, the care he got from front-liners, the assistance of the city government and the daily online Masses and inspirational talks of Fr. Jerry Orbos, Bishop Socrates Villegas, Fr. Mike Schmitz and his friend, Jimenez, made his fight against the virus easier.
Cura has also since renewed his relationship with God, saying that “no matter who we are and what we are in this world, we are susceptible to the virus and we could all die instantly. And if we have not lived our life fully in accordance with God’s teachings, we could die without being sorry for our sins and it could be too late by then.”
“While we are still alive, let us go back to God and live a more meaningful life,” he added.