“He who does not know how to look back at where he came from will never get to his destination.”
These words, passed down from our national hero Dr José P Rizal, come to my mind as we reflect on our journey towards our first WSO Angels gold award.
The beginning
Once, we were not able to handle strokes. Not everyone has the capability and the courage to lead the way and make a change. It was not until the right day came that someone sent an angel to diversify and shake things up.
It all began in 2015, when our dear director, Dr Glory V Baltazar, appointed the first ever neurologist at Bataan General Hospital and Medical Center. This is now a tertiary hospital in the peninsula, aiming to be a multi-specialty apex hospital with a 1000-bed capacity by the year 2028.
The mentor
The backbone of our breakthrough is none other than Dr Gerard Erikson Gonzales who initiated the change that fellow Bataeños have been waiting for. We are grateful that a man of wisdom was a God-given instrument to heal those who were in need, to teach those who wanted to learn, and to selflessly share his purpose.
Despite having no distinct unit for stroke patients, he started to form a team with nurses and five beds inside the ICU. Later in 2018, the team was given a specific room with nine beds. His passion for teaching was exceptional, and that created the power for us to extend our hands and hold on to our vision. His guidelines and intelligence paved the way for creating the only neuroscience unit in the province. With his perseverance, we are now equipped to be acknowledged as one of the acute stroke-ready hospitals in the Philippines.
The mastery
By 2022, the unit had its own area consisting of 14 beds for acute critical neurological conditions and one epilepsy monitoring unit for the monitoring of seizure patients. The same year also marked the partnership of Bataan General Hospital and Medical Center with the Angels Initiative. Mr Emar Autor of Angels formally introduced the importance of early assessment and management of acute stroke patients.
At the start of the following year, three nurses from our unit, Sir Jayson Razz Perez, Ma’am Gianne May Viray, and Sir Jeffrey Cabangal, attended and were recognized as pioneering graduates of a stroke master class held in Baguio City. We are grateful that our chief nurse, Ma’am Arlene Navarro, encourages us to attend different trainings for our own development.
The memory
In the second quarter of 2023, we had our seminar regarding brain attack. The team of doctors and nurses experienced a stroke simulation and were able to also hold a demonstration regarding a specific case of acute stroke. Everyone on the team was able to handle the stroke medicine, or what we consider a “vial of hope”, hoping that what we were doing that day would save someone, and also bring hope to their loved ones.
That day, I remembered how I was a young daughter of a stroke patient. So many thoughts ran through my head: What if we’d had this drug available and introduced it two decades ago? Would I have been able to have my father longer and would he have been able to witness the phase of my life that I am in now?
The miracle
Our enthusiasm led us to make a move in the neuroscience unit. This drove us to have a series of successful thrombolyses, make a difference in the lives of patients, and give them a chance of a better future. Through the Angels Initiative, we can truly leave our legacy. We can offer the treatment we haven’t had before.
We also witnessed how NIHSS 17 became NIHSS 0, how an aphasic patient was able to sing his favorite song and praise by raising his hands without any deficit, and what it was like to send them home wearing their smiles.
The legacy
In the third quarter of 2023, we had an array of successful cases, and yet we weren’t able to reach the time stamp of less than 60 minutes. Not until Ms Gisella Mutuc of Angels took the initiative to discuss the analysis and impediments. She also guided us on how the RES-Q registry worked. Her hard work as an Angels consultant pushed us to move further.
december 1, 2023, marked the day when the Stroke Society of the Philippines visited our province to present a seminar. This event ignited our desire to achieve a win. Indeed, an answered prayer was manifested and we were on cloud nine when Ms Mutuc delivered the good news that we had achieved gold status.
This turning point showcased our team effort. It was not an overnight endeavor; nevertheless, it was still priceless.
From the top management to the different division heads and staff behind this success, we are grateful that you play a big role in making Bataan General Hospital and Medical Center acknowledged internationally. Let us carry on this honor and leave our footprint of success as the future generation follows the right path in stroke management.
