MANILA: When Julio Concepción spoke to his wife in early May 2020, he thought it might be the last time he heard her voice.
Lezly Ocampo lay in a hospital bed thousands of miles from her home, struggling to breathe.
Like many Filipino migrant workers, Ocampo, 32, had left his home in the northern province of La Union to work in the Middle East.
For three years, she cared for the elderly at Burjeel Homecare in Abu Dhabi. As the COVID-19 pandemic struck and the number of infections increased in the UAE, Ocampo, like other frontline health workers, took on extra work hours to protect their patients.
QUICKACTS
• Lezly Ocampo, 32, cared for the elderly at Burjeel Homecare in Abu Dhabi.
• Posthumously honored with the United Arab Emirates Order of Fallen Frontline Heroes.
However, on April 27, she also contracted the virus.
Initially, Ocampo’s symptoms were mild, with no pain or fever. Concepcion spoke to her every day by phone and her family hoped for a speedy recovery and to return to the Philippines, as planned, for a short vacation with the couple’s five-year-old daughter.
But after a few days, she was transferred to intensive care.
“I could see that she was really struggling. She was already in the ICU at the time. I could see during our video call that she was already coughing up blood,” Concepción told Arab News, recalling her last call on May 9.
“She said, ‘I love you very much. Take care of our daughter, Shammy. I love them all. Now I am very weak.’”
Ocampo died on May 12, International Nursing Day.
In November 2020, the Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, posthumously honored her with the Fallen Frontline Heroes Order.
Their sacrifice in the fight against the UAE pandemic has not been forgotten.
During the UAE’s National Day celebrations in Manila in early December, Emirati Ambassador Mohamed Obaid Alqataam Al-Zaabi paid tribute to Ocampo and his family.
“We thank all the United Arab Emirates for all the tributes and honors. We are very grateful,” said Concepción, recalling how the President of the United Arab Emirates, Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, called him personally to offer his condolences after the death of his wife.
“He thanked me for my wife’s sacrifice and asked what our needs were… I am very grateful to the UAE government for their kindness and generosity. I hope they never tire of helping us.”
The family has received assistance from the United Arab Emirates government, including the repatriation of Ocampo’s body for a funeral in the Philippines.
“He had big dreams not only for our family and our daughter, but also for his own family. Even for my family, because she was also very close to them,” said Concepción.
“We are sad but happy because my wife’s sacrifice was recognized.”
