REFLECTIONS
REFLECTIONS : LITTLE HEROES AUTHOR Teresita Bacani-Oropilla , MD
Every morning , she rolls her cart along the halls of an assisted living facility . Never a frown on her face , which is framed by short auburn hair , now flecked with white , she is quite a celebrity . Elderly residents and dining room staff smile back as she waves her greeting to all , passing by . Rather short of stature , she walks with a slight limp as she mops floors , waters plants , picks up trash and polishes windows in the reception room . She then disappears to the halls leading to the individual rooms .
There , she vacuums , cleans the baths and toilets . Woe unto her when elderly clients drop trays or have accidents , or some water gadget overflows . That means time lost !
This little lady has patiently withstood the loss of cleaning staff from five workers to two , due to the pandemic . She takes care of an aging mother and two disabled sons when she gets home . She recounts that an occasional pizza is an appreciated treat ! And she does not hesitate to take turns taking a riderless coworker to the latter ’ s home even if it is out of her way , going home .
November is the month we honor our heroes of yesteryear , the veterans of foreign wars in the Pacific Islands , the Philippines , Vietnam , Korea , Europe . We remember their sacrifices in the extreme cold , floating in the sea waiting for rescue , trapped in the jungles , imprisoned by the enemy , losing beloved friends who died before their eyes . Yet they survived !
The world ’ s devastating pandemic has tested the courage and mettle of all current people on earth . It has highlighted our best and worst qualities .
We mourn the loss of our health care workers who daily expose their lives , our elderly , our way of life , for rich and poor alike . Can we then classify ourselves as “ first ” responders too ? How about “ continuous ” responders ? Just like our cleaning woman , the constant and continuous responder : there are little heroes everywhere .
There must be great hope for humankind to survive ! Do you agree ?
Dr . Bacani-Oropilla is a retired pediatrician and child psychiatrist .
DECEMBER 2021 23