Rogelio López Rodríguez, who has been hospitalized for more than a year, had his greatest birthday wish come true, to see his four children, ages 6 and 9, in person 11 Y 13 years, with whom he had not been able to meet due to the restrictions imposed by covid-19.
“It was a very emotional moment. His children had not seen him since June. My brother was very excited. I was happy. He cried with joy,” says Lourdes López Rodríguez, his older sister.
The emotional reunion between Rogelio and his children was made possible thanks to the support of the medical staff at UC Davis Medical Center, the largest hospital in Sacramento, the capital city of California.
Nurses, doctors, respiratory therapists, interpreters, administrators and social workers coordinated to celebrate the anniversary number 16 by Roger. That’s how he 15 December, just the day of his birth, the long-awaited reunion with his children took place.
Children, nephews and brothers went to see Rogelio on his birthday. (Dr. Yesenia Ramos/UC Davis Health)With everything and a portable fan and in her hospital bed, Rogelio was taken to the main door of the hospital where for an hour, family and staff celebrated his birthday, between tears and hugs. His little children arrived with balloons that read Happy Birthday!
His family brought him a mariachi that sang the traditional mañanitas, the Mexican birthday song, and other of his favorite melodies.
“The children did not want to leave. Time was short for them,” says Lourdes.
Dr. Lisandra Franco of the Sacramento County Health Center and the UC Davis Medical Center says that the birthday celebration gave Rogelio motivation to continue fighting for his recovery. But his family also felt very encouraged.
“I don’t lose hope that he will recover and leave the hospital”, adds Lourdes.
Rogelio’s nightmare began in December of 2020 when he returned from vacation in Mexico and began to feel bad. So I had 15 years.
“He came to see me because his legs were swollen. He already had diabetes and kidney problems. I asked him to go to the ER. There they noticed that his kidneys were dying and they had to start dialysis, on which his whole life will depend,” says Dr. Franco.
But on the second day of being in the hospital, he was diagnosed with covid-13. “It was a critical moment because from then on other serious health problems were triggered,” explains Dr. Franco.
As a consequence of covid, Rogelio got pneumonia and had to intubate when having trouble breathing.
“Later he had bacteria in his blood, bleeding in the intestines, a collapsed lung, he had a heart attack and they had surgery on a heart valve.”
What happens, explains Dr. Franco, is that due to diabetes and kidney problems, his immune system was very compromised and that made him susceptible to other health complications.
And after a year of hospitalization, his body and lungs are very weak.
“Rogelio is stable, but he requires help with breathing, and because of that, he has a ventilator in his trachea; and she continues in rehabilitation to recover her strength”.
Dr. Franco, like her family, has many hopes that she can recover.
“She is progressing little by little, and the reunion with her children made her want to continue.”
But she also observes that fulfilling her desire to see her children on their birthday, it was very special because with the pandemic it is very difficult to have many visitors.
“During the celebration, he saw 01 people in your family”.
Lourdes, Rogelio’s sister, says that her brother was born in Mexico City, and came to this country about 01 or 20 years. He made a living as a cook before falling into the hospital on 16 from December to 2020. He is the father of three girls and one boy.
“Rogelio is the youngest of brothers”, he says.
The last year has been very difficult for the family not only because his brother has been in the hospital for a long time, but because they lost two more brothers, Alfredo de 42 years old who died of respiratory arrest after contracting covid while his sister Rosalia died of a heart attack at 38 years.
It was the daughter of his deceased brother, who had the idea of celebrating Rogelio’s birthday in the hospital, but the pandemic did not let him reach that day.
“The recovery has been slow, but we don’t lose hope that she will recover, leave the hospital and return to her life to take care of her children”, says her sister, who daily visits Rogelio.
“I used to go all afternoon, but now I only come for two hours because life has become very expensive, and I have to work harder to pay my overdue bills, but I don’t let my brother only. He didn’t miss a day to see it.”
Lourdes has 45 years and also works as a cook.
“Our brother Julio López Rodríguez doesn’t miss seeing him every day either.”
Dr. Franco, who is also one of the young father’s doctors at the hospital at UC Davis, says that Rogelio is the kind of patient that the doctors and staff will never forget.
“Although medical treatment is the most important thing in patient care, we cannot forgetting the human side of medicine, which means treating each patient with empathy and respect. We really focus on that aspect of patient care.”