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Jose Planillo, RN: The vaccinator as Piano Man
By Cristina DC Pastor During his 15-minute break, a masked gentleman in scrubs walks to an upright piano to play Chopin or a Broadway song by Sondheim. Surprised patients in the Javits Center Observation Area recognize him as the man who just gave them their jabs. Smiles and applause follow Jose Planillo, RN, as he […]
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Teen author Casey Giles publishes two fiction books
Casey Giles, the only child of a Filipina immigrant and a fifth-generation Texan, has published her first novel titled, “Indifferents,” last November of 2019, followed quickly by its sequel “Indigo Fading,” which was released on December 25, 2020. She had her book launch and signing event on March 6, 2021, in Sugarland, Texas with proceeds […]
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Elcee Cagas Conner: A global leader in respiratory care
By Maricar CP Hampton When the global coronavirus pandemic erupted in early 2020, it was difficult for most people to understand what an incredible challenge it would become. For Elcee Cagas Conner, president of the Asia Pacific Association for Respiratory Care (APARC), it was one of the many challenges she spent her life preparing for. […]
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6th-grader’s essay comparing 9/11 and COVID wins 1st place
By Grethel Bolandrina “Sadly, COVID-19 and 9/11 have also provoked discrimination within people of different races. 9/11 turned a few people against Muslims and the Coronavirus against the Chinese. If there’s one good thing that came out of these disastrous events, it would be that the world and people came together for each other. Citizens […]
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My COVID diary
By Boyet Loverita It was the afternoon of March 11, 2020. I was doing food shopping at our neighborhood grocery store after we attended an event at the Philippine Consulate in Midtown. My phone rang, and it’s my wife Lindy. She sounded frantic and told me to go back home ASAP. I left the grocery […]
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Tears for the 500,000
The FilAm Editorial The number is mind-numbing. 500,000. At least half a million American lives lost to the stealth killer coronavirus. Thousands of them of Filipino ethnicity. Almost 300 of them Filipino American doctors, nurses, and other health care frontliners, based on data from Kanlungan.net, a memorial dedicated to Filipinos in the healthcare system. How […]
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Senior citizen gets vaccinated…without leaving her car
By Ludy Astraquillo Ongkeko, Ph.D. Since the news about the pandemic’s beginnings in March 2020, most everyone had hoped the talked-about vaccines would be realized. Science responded positively. What was made emphatic was how there would be “priority” given to members of the seniors community. The news was indeed hailed. My son requested an appointment for me […]
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Remembering: Eating with my face shield on
Find the person who will ‘sit with you in the dark’ By Ness Bantog I remember the morning after my son was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. I woke up with eyes puffy from the night before and immediately started crying. I just could not imagine how we would figure this life out. I was […]
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Remembering: Lolo Eddie died in a casino
2 kidneys? I’ll take them! By Menchu De Luna Whew! What a journey! When my transplant did not push through in the Philippines in August of 2019, I thought that I was done! When the doctors told me that they cannot do my transplant anymore, I felt that the world fell on me, and I […]