It was the early morning of Christmas and if it weren’t for Dr. Aye Nuguid it would have been a terrible one. My son and I were surrounded by bright lights but not of Christmas lights but the white, harsh lights of the emergency room.
What to read in this article:
- Story of true heroes during emergencies
- The Christmas best Christmas gift that a mother could receive
- An extraordinary doctor
Heroes will emerge during emergencies
Most moms would agree with me that having a cool, caring, and compassionate pediatrician is like a diamond in the rough. We've had our fair share of disappointments and scary stories about doctors who aren't at par or those doctors who are only after money. But luckily, we've found several health professionals for our children. We live outside the city. And the majority of the best doctors are all based in Manila. It was hard for us to find a decent and trustworthy pediatrician. Thankfully our children's immune systems have improved.
My youngest son is the most sickly of them all. He would be admitted every month for asthma, pneumonia, just to name a few. So for him not to get sick for almost a year was indeed a great gift to us. Sadly, last December 22nd, we rushed him again to the ER for a severe allergic reaction to something we do not know until now.
We were on our way home when we noticed that our son's face was swollen. His skin was hot and full of red patches of rashes. He complained of itchiness but gladly, he didn't have a difficulty of breathing. We arrived at the ER where he got first-aid medications of Benadryl and Hydrocortisone. He immediately fell asleep. His rashes toned down too. So, the ER doctor discharged us. But in between those moments, I have been contacting our pediatrician via Viber. Sadly, no response. The next day, he was still itchy and couldn't handle it anymore. We asked him to bathe, applied calamine lotion and upped his dosage for Benadryl.
Later that night, he complained of itchiness and difficulty breathing. So, we decided to go to the ER... again. On our way, I messaged again our pedia but to no avail. The ER doctor had asked for a series of tests including a chest x-ray to check further. The results came and it showed he had high WBC (white blood cells) and that his chest x-ray showed "haziness." The ER doctor suspected "incidental pneumonia." We were asked to be admitted but the hospital is already full. We were panicking and sad at the same time as we celebrated Christmas Eve on the road. We contacted our Pedia again, however, the ER nurse confirmed that they, too, contacted our pedia for further instructions but no response.
I was panicking and at the same time furious. I know for a fact that doctors are humans, and they, too, need to celebrate the holidays. But, it is their chosen profession. After all, they have stickers that say "Doctor on call."
I prayed and I messaged my kababata if she knows of a pediatrician who would be kind enough to respond to me on a holiday. She gave me the number of her good friend and business partner. She made sure I call him and not just text him. I didn’t want to make the call because of my experience with other doctors but she forced me and said “No one will answer you but him!”
When help is the best Christmas present you'll receive
At that time, I didn't know that Dr. Aye Nuguid was a celebrity doctor. All she told me was he’s from St. Luke's BGC and Makati Medical Center. I called and texted him but he wasn't responding. I thought he was already asleep because it was midnight marking the birth of our Lord, Jesus.
Surprisingly, my phone rang, and it was Dr. Aye. When I answered my phone he immediately apologized for not responding right away. It was the first time I heard a doctor apologize! More so to someone he doesn’t know who kept on calling him during the first hour of Christmas Day.
He asked me about my son's situation and what have they (hospital) done to him so far. After explaining and showing all the results, he concluded that we didn't need to be admitted. More importantly, his chest is clear and no traces of pneumonia at all. Thank God!, I yelled with so much joy! I thought my son would be tagged as a "COVID-19 suspect." He gave me additional instructions and a list of medications (all done in wit and sense of humor) and all worked out perfectly and my son is back to his normal, healthy, and happy self! What he did restore our faith in doctors. He made us feel that it is indeed Christmas.
What sets this doctor apart?
After the rollercoaster of emotions, I searched about Dr. Aye Nuguid online and it was awe and pure gratitude that I felt.
We were nothing like those in his roster of patients. We are far from them. He is well-appreciated by celebrity moms like Vicky Belo, Kris Aquino, and others. You see, it is widely expected for these people to be treated as VIPs. But, for us, "normal" moms, we also get treated fairly, however, not all the time. Dr. Aye seems to be the kind of person who treats everyone equally and He surely isn't that kind of doctor who will just maximize our credit cards or HMOs. He didn’t even ask for a consultation fee! He was even the one who keeps on following up about my son days after the incident. I have four kids and never in my life, I encountered a good pediatrician doctor like him, and even treated by a doctor this way.
After checking him on search engines and social media sites I again talked to my friend who referred us to Dr. Aye Nuguid. I wanted to know him more.
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According to her, he is the 2nd child from a family of 10 children. He and his twin brother, Dr. Ome Nuguid are both caring and loving pediatricians who always go beyond their call of duty. But the other things she shared about him are validations that Dr. Aye is really no ordinary doctor. It is a given that he is smart and intelligent as the majority of doctors are but she also said that Dr. Aye is the kind of person who will treat the janitor and the CEO of the company equally. He cares for his staff just as much as he cares for his patients. She also said He has the heart of a giver.
Dr. Aye has been secretly doing charity works in Cavite and other areas during decades of his medical service. Years ago he and some of his friends started an orphanage. This pandemic, while busy donating medical supplies to hospitals in his province and other areas he still was able to build a company with his friend called CypressArk (a move most will not even dare to do during an economic downfall) and it was not for the money but with the goal to bring in medical-related products and technological breakthroughs that will help people from all walks of life to endure and go through this pandemic and other challenges that await. These are just a few of the many unexpected and amazing things he would rather do in stealth mode.
I also found out from her that on Christmas Eve, Dr. Aye was extremely tired due to a leak that happened at his condo. He also drove from Makati to Cavite and back to prepare his mom’s Noche Buena. Yet I didn’t hear him complain about this while talking with him on the phone. Not even a hint of weariness from the sound of his voice. He takes good care of his mother and his siblings and still manages to be a consistently caring doctor to all his patients and even strangers, like me, 24/7.
Aside from having a soft, compassionate, and generous heart Dr. Aye’s natural sense of humor is also one thing she said that his patients never forget about him. I experienced this too. He never failed to make his patients and friends feel at peace even during the most devastating situation. He truly is a good pediatrician.
The light that drove me more towards Dr. Aye Nuguid is not from the light of the personalities, celebrities, and big names that he handles. We are not one of them and that’s what struck me most. It was the light he had on his own. A "light" search engine failed to present. It was the light I personally experienced. It was the light that dimmed the harshest light at the ER. I was the light that comforted us on Christmas Day. It was also the light that shone through the raw and candid stories of his best friend and partner. Stories most might have never heard of. It was the light that radiated during the dark year of 2020 and, by God’s grace in him, this New Year and all the years after.