My husband and I were on our way to church on the morning of June 12 when we were informed about Dra. Tupasi’s death. By the time I read that message on my phone, I was reminded how Dra. Tupasi made it possible for me to celebrate my 6th wedding anniversary that day together with our firstborn child.
My best memories of Dra. Tupasi are from the times when she would visit the clinic and attend the patients’ general assembly, where I learned she was a TB survivor herself. I was inspired by how she used her experience as a patient in pioneering MDR‑TB treatment in the Philippines, along with integrating her idea of quality healthcare. Iba ang alagang Tropical Disease Foundation. When I was referred to TDF, I was diagnosed with extensively drug‑resistant TB. It was TDF that became my second home during my 18‑month treatment. It was also TDF that gave me employment for the first time five years after I passed the CPA board exam. They employed me even while I was still undergoing treatment—no stigma and no discrimination at all in the workplace.
I will always remember Dra. Tupasi for her passion, dedication, willingness to help, and her fighting spirit. I will never forget the time when I met with her and Dr. Gler the day after I was diagnosed to have relapsed six months after I had been declared cured from XDR‑TB. I was devastated because of the uncertainty of surviving the disease a second time. It was a relapse case of XDR‑TB and there was no new drug that could be given to me—how could I be hopeful? Gusto ko pa sana munang magmukmok, but Dr. Tupasi never wasted any time and instructed me to go to TDF. She already had a plan for me. Wearing my N95 mask and crying, I asked her, “Doc, mamatay na ba ako?” She told me, “Huwag kang umiyak. Kaya natin ito. Lalaban tayo.” And then the rest was history.
Today, I have been TB‑free for the past eight years, happily married for six years, and am now a mother of a 10‑month‑old baby girl. I went back to school after I was treated from XDR‑TB and earned my MBA degree. I have been employed in international NGOs that implement USAID‑funded projects supporting the National TB Program. I take pride in these achievements because of Dr. Tupasi and TDF.
Because she cared, I am alive.
This is how her passion, dedication, and kindness impacted my life, and I am just one of the many patients whose lives were touched by Dra. Tupasi.
Sa lahat ng naitulong niya sa akin at sa maraming tao, nanatiling mapagkumbaba si Dra. Tupasi. Minsan nag‑text ako ng birthday greetings sa kanya at pinasalamatan ko siya sa lahat ng ginawa niya para sa akin. Ang sagot niya sa akin, “You owe me nothing. Wala kang dapat ipagpasalamat sa akin.”
Sa pamamaalam po namin sa inyo, Dra. Tupasi, dala namin ang mga munting binhi na ipinunla ninyo sa bawat isa sa amin—kalakip ang mahahalagang aral at halimbawa ng pagkalinga sa bayan na nagsisimula sa pagtulong sa kapwa na nangangailangan nang walang hinihintay na kapalit.
Sa pamilya po ni Dra. Tupasi, ako at ang aking pamilya, kaisa ng lahat ng mga pasyenteng natulungan niya, ay nakikiramay at nakikidalamhati sa inyo. Walang hanggang pasasalamat at panalangin ang aming alay sa inyo. Maraming salamat po.
