Yolanda victim saves baby girl

MANILA, Philippines - A female pediatrician who was a victim of Super Typhoon Yolanda saved a nine-month-old baby girl from death on a Navy ship bound for Cebu on Monday night.

Sherryl Ann Roque immediately treated Baby Janelle, who was having convulsions due to acute pneumonia, according to Commander Jonathan Zata, commanding officer of BRP Bacolod City.

“The baby’s mother approached me and asked for help. So I asked the passengers whether there are doctors on the ship,” Zata said.

He said Roque responded and gave the baby medicine and dextrose that she got from the stocks of the ship.

“She gave immediate medical attention to the baby, but she also informed me that the baby should be brought to a hospital because there is a possibility that she will die,” Zata said.

Upon learning about the child’s condition, Naval Forces Central chief Commodore Reynaldo Yoma ordered BRP Federico Martir to fetch the infant so she can be brought to the nearest hospital.

 The pediatrician then checked the vital signs of the child before she was transferred to BRP Federico Martir, which had a medical team on board.

The baby was taken to a hospital in Cebu and is now in stable condition.

 On the other hand, Roque, her husband, mother and grandmother were provided with a vehicle by the Naval Forces Central so they can go to the airport and make it to their flight to Manila on that same day.

 Navy officials thanked Roque for her deed and even called her a “Yolanda hero.”

 Roque, for her part, said she was grateful for the opportunity to extend help to those in need.

“In a way, I am thankful. I was able to help the baby and saved her life,” she said.