By: Rev. Domingo Galagata

It’s unimaginable to go through the chaos of fear and anxiety brought on by COVID-19.

This made me think about how dangerous it is to be infected with this sickness. That is why it is vital to follow the government’s guidelines on how to prevent becoming infected. Although I was skeptical about COVID-19 before, after contracting the virus, I learned just how severe it was.

Allow me to share my experience with COVID-19 with you. On March 5, 2021, I felt physical aches and a high temperature. When I got home in the afternoon, my 12-year-old son was tired and had a fever too. While taking fever medicine, we prayed and relaxed. After a few days, I observed that my son was getting strong and recuperating, but my situation, however, was deteriorating. I was coughing a lot and almost passed out. Due to high fever, physical ache, and dizziness, my wife was struggling to get out of bed too. While struggling, I had to administer to my wife’s needs as well. To counter my predicament, I ate a variety of fruits. Every morning, we used to enjoy the sun in front of the church. This is how my family tradition treats fever.

But on the next day, when I awoke, I felt dreadful. I puked, passed out, and appeared to lose consciousness all at once. Our neighbors were so kind as to offer me a car so that I could travel to the hospital. At first, I was apprehensive about going to the hospital. Because I heard Covid-19 was found in almost every patient admitted to the hospital. I was nervous and afraid, but I needed to be admitted to the hospital because of my critical condition.

When I got to the hospital, they rushed me to the emergency room to check my health. They found I had uncontrolled diabetes 2 and, a few hours later, I tested positive for Covid in an antigen test. To prevent the virus from spreading and infecting others, they immediately moved me to an isolation room. The RT-PCR test was performed the next day.

I got the results about four days later, but I’m still optimistic that everything is fine.

I was worried about my family while struggling in the hospital. My son sent me a video message, which was the only method to keep me informed about our predicament. My twelve-year-old son was the one who looked after his mother when my wife was battling her sickness. When I observed their condition on a video call, I was startled and concerned. I felt like I was fighting alone. Unfortunately, when the results of my RT- PCR came back, I was positive. My family was immediately placed under a 14-day home quarantine by the LGU.

We are prohibited to have anyone visit us during those dreadful times in our lives, not even family. Unfortunately, I’m miserable and depressed because of our current condition. God’s word and promises, on the other hand, gave me hope and strength. He assured me that he would keep His word. He will never abandon or forsake me. This is His fight, not mine. All I have to do is put my trust and faith in Him, since God is capable of bigger things, and I will undoubtedly win this battle.

I had a discussion with my doctor about my illness, and I told him about my financial situation. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the funds to cover all of my medical expenses. As a result, I requested assistance in getting me to a quarantine facility. They reached out to “LGU” Padre Garcia to see if they could help me find a suitable location. As the number of Covid infections continues to rise, almost all quarantine facilities are overcrowded.

In the afternoon of March 27, 2021. An ambulance arrived and whisked me away from the hospital, transferring me to one of Tagaytay’s hotels for a 14-day quarantine. My wife called me one day telling me that in the church, contact tracing was carried out. Four church leaders, she claims, tested positive for COVID-19. They were quarantined at home with their families for 14 days.

Finally, my 14-day quarantine period concluded on April 11th, 2021. Padre Garcia’s frontline members took me home in an ambulance from one of Tagaytay’s hotels. What God has done in my family has left me speechless. In the midst of deep waters, I’ve seen and tasted God’s favor and grace. Whatever challenges we confront in life, the Lord gives us the opportunity to win rather than lose. In this way, God’s name be exalted. His name is going to be praised. God, on the other hand, is unchanging and never weary. This is especially true while coping with life’s difficulties and disputes. We learn to pay attention, to look at God’s sovereignty, and to completely rely on him. When we accomplish it, we shall be given new strength, similar to an eagle’s wings Isaiah 40:28-31.

I’m urging everyone to take extra precautions to prevent contracting the virus. Vaccination, in my opinion, is one of the best ways to protect ourselves and our families. I’m optimistic that my experience will serve as evidence to everybody that COVID-19 is real.

We want to express our heartfelt gratitude to all of our Christian brothers and sisters, as well as all of the spiritual leaders of JECPP who prayed for us. We’d like to express our gratitude to Dr. Robert Lim, JECPP’s founding chairman, and his family for their prayers and financial assistance. Our Lord, who has given us victory, deserves our praise and thanks.