Highlights
- Madel Lucena was a medical technician before accepting an offer to become a flight attendant for Cebu Pacific.
- After losing her job as a flight attendant, Madel decided to go back to the medical field. She is now part of the first line of defence, swabbing and testing for the virus.
- She admits that there is fear amongst frontliners, but what pushes them forward is their love for their work and their responsibility to care for others.
In Australia, there has been a call to recruit grounded flight attendants as hospital workers due to their basic first aid training and potential for upskilling.
On the flipside, Philippine-based Madel Lucena previously acquired a job as a flight attendant because of her healthcare background.
"Nurses and healthcare workers have an edge when they apply as flight attendants because they know what to do during an emergency," she shares, adding, "because of COVID, a good number of out-of-work flight attendants who were once in healthcare are now frontliners".
Palawan-based Madel Lucena, former flight attendant-turned-frontliner Source: Madel Lucena
Madel is one of the thousands of flight attendants around the world who lost their job due to the pandemic. She is also one of a good number of them who have joined the fight against COVID-19.
An unexpected turn of events
"When I was studying to be a medical technician, there were so many chemistry subjects. I didn't think I was smart enough for all that science stuff," Madel laughs, adding, "but as time went on, I began really loving what I was studying".
Following her studies, the 22-year old Palaweña worked in the medical field until a radically different opportunity presented itself.
"I applied and trained to be a flight attendant for Cebu Pacific, which was funny because I have a fear of heights and motion sickness, so I never imagined myself flying, but my friends egged me on, so I tried and I got in."
"Everyone they hired last year - around 500-600 cabin crew members were laid off. I was one of them." Source: Madel Lucena
While Madel relished being part of the aviation industry for a year, the pandemic hit the vulnerable sector hard and thousands of workers were laid off.
"During my time, there was mass hiring. 500-600 cabin crew members were taken in and then laid off because there were much fewer flights."
Madel Lucena with colleagues from Cebu Pacific Source: Madel Lucena
Flight attendant-turned-frontliner
After being laid off, Madel took a couple of months off to recoup. During that time, she found out that hospitals in Palawan were in dire need of medical technicians to swab and test patients for COVID-19.
"Not trying to sound holier-than-thou or anything like that...but I went to mass and during the homily of the priest, he asked 'What is the meaning of your life?' The question stuck with me."
The question that stuck with her enabled her to go against her father's wish for her to stay away from her previous medical profession.
"Honestly, my dad didn't want me to work as a frontliner. He told me, 'Why push your luck?' But the work is too important for me to refuse."
Madel and family: ""Honestly, my dad didn't want me to work as a frontliner. He told me, 'Why push your luck?' But the work is too important for me to refuse." Source: Madel Lucena
Madel now works as a part of Palawan's first line of defence, swabbing patients and testing them for the virus.
"We wear our PPE. Sometimes, we have so much on that we can't see clearly due to fogging. We wear masks so tight that our cheeks hurt; but we need to be careful. After each person that we test, we remove our PPE, take a shower and prepare for the next one. It's a hassle. It's challenging, but it's what we have to do."
"The fear is always there because the virus is invisible to the naked eye. Just one mistake and you can get sick."
Madel works as a medical technician, swabbing patients and testing samples. Source: Madel Lucena
Aside from the fear of getting sick, Madel feels a pit in her stomach every time she sees the paranoia and anxiety patients go through.
"I feel so bad for those we swab and test, especially those who are symptomatic. You see the worry and the fear in their faces.
"As for us frontliners, we have to be ready for anything to happen. We have to work as a team. For the 12-hour shifts I work everyday, I need to tell myself that this is what I want to do. I have to do my best, knowing that the lives of others are in our hands. I need to do this right."
"I do my best, knowing the lives of others are in our hands. I need to do this right." Source: Madel Lucena
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