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Ill worker dies, two days after leaving Saipan
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Posted on Feb 02 2009
Going back home was probably Geraldine Amor’s last wish before she passed away in Manila yesterday morning, two days after she left Saipan where she worked for five years, according to her aunt, Remy Amor.
Geraldine Amor, who sought the local community’s help to be able to return home due to a serious medical condition, passed away at 5:40am at the Manila Doctors Hospital yesterday (7:40am Saipan time). She was 35.
“She was happy when she got home [Saturday], according to relatives,” Remy Amor said in Pilipino. “She died of complications from lupus.”
Geraldine Amor had been ill for months until she was confined in the intensive care unit of the Commonwealth Health Center on Jan. 19. She was diagnosed with lupus, an auto-immune disease that can affect various parts of the body, including the skin, joints, heart, lungs, blood, kidneys, and brain.
“We are thankful to all the people who helped us to send her back home, including Mr. and Mrs. Rene Batallones who paid for the airfare,” Remy Amor told Saipan Tribune yesterday.
The Overseas Filipino Worker Support Group led by Carlito Marquez and the Marianas Association of Filipino Architects and Engineers led by Bong de Guzman led the fundraising for other expenses needed by the family of the patient. The groups also helped designate drop off points and contact persons for the donations.
“To all those who helped Geraldine, we are very thankful,” said Marquez, adding that they are saddened by the patient’s death.
Donations from the two groups and individual members of the community reached over $2,000, about half of which was sent back home with the patient while the remaining amount will be used to temporarily support the deceased’s two sons who are on Saipan—a 1-year-old and a 3-year-old.
Geraldine Amor, along with medical escorts, left Saipan early Saturday morning and arrived in Manila around noon of the same day. She was transported immediately to the Manila Doctors Hospital where she died two days later.
She told Saipan Tribune on Jan. 21 that she’s seeking the community’s help because she had no money. Her contract was not renewed when it expired on Dec. 10 because of her medical condition.
