There are days she feels as though things are moving at a crawl, or she just wants to shut out all the suffering and sorrow she witnesses every day, and sleep. Her moments of frustration, however, are always fleeting.
Dr. Marissa Lim, an internist nephrologist at Diliman Doctors Hospital and Philippine Heart Center, has a deep-rooted sense of duty, borne of years of training. She also constantly draws inspiration from colleagues and, most of all, her patients.
“Patients remind me why I do what I do,” she shared. She is touched by their stories and their determination to survive. She spoke of a blind grandmother who had been turned away in two hospitals and had to wait for hours in the tent outside the hospital where she works before finally being admitted, thanks to a woman who called the doctor’s attention.
Kindness amid darkness
“In these dark times, there is still kindness in this world,” said Dr. Lim.
She shared her stories with members of the PLDT-Smart Foundation and the Tulong Kapatid consortium of companies led by Group Chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan, who has been providing food and PPEs to frontline healthcare workers.
“I love what I do. I love helping people, even on days when it is not so easy,” Dr. Lim intimated. During challenging days, her rigorous training at med school kicks in, and instinctively she sails through, simply because “there are so many who need help”.
The same is true of her colleagues. “No matter what, we carry on with our commitment and duty to serve,” added the doctor whose day begins at 7:00 a.m.
Driven by purpose
One nurse, in particular, impressed her with his initiative in better managing the cases assigned to him. “He asks questions to help fill the gaps in patient care, often due to the sheer volume of work. He’s not only efficient and has good work ethic, he also shows compassion toward patients,” related Dr. Lim.
Feeling spent once, she exclaimed, “Bakit ganito (Why are things like this)?” But He heard her, she said, and replied, “Doc, manalig ka (have faith).”
People sometimes ask Dr. Lim if she ever feels scared stepping into a COVID room and being in contact with infected patients. Her answer: “You don’t feel scared, you just feel compelled to do everything you can to make them feel better.”