Pinay nurse to be conferred royal award at Buckingham Palace

MANILA, Philippines – A Filipina nurse who helped save lives during the terror attack that happened at the London Bridge back in June 2017 will be conferred a royal award at the Buckingham Palace this April 4, 2019.
Pinay nurse to be conferred royal award at Buckingham Palace

Last June 3, 2017, a van intentionally rammed into pedestrians. The three men who were inside the van, including the driver, went out of the vehicle and stabbed random people on the bridge, leading to the death of seven people and injuries to at least 48 others.

One of those who died in the incident was a nurse, an Australian named Kirsty Boden, who had angered the terrorists for trying to save the lives of those injured.

Pinay nurse to be conferred royal award at Buckingham Palace
Photo credit: The Filipino Times

Yet the terrorists did not stop other nurses from helping out those in need of care after the attack. Joy Ongcachuy, a Pinay nurse working as Lead Robotic Nurse at the Royal London Hospital, was among the first responders to arrive at the scene.

Ongcachuy and her workmates treated seven people who were injured during the attack. All the seven people they treated at their hospital survived; the other victims were rushed to other hospitals in the city. All those who were brought to the hospitals survived; though some had to be confined for weeks.

While Ongcachuy and her group believed they were only doing their jobs, they were considered as heroes who saved the lives of the people who would have perished if they had not bravely entered the scene to treat the wounded.

The 45-year-old nurse will be conferred an Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE) for her significant service in community work and her role in saving these people’s lives.

Pinay nurse to be conferred royal award at Buckingham Palace
Photo credit: Abaseen Foundation

Ongcachuy who hails from Misamis Oriental, Philippines, went to the United Kingdom in 2002 as a scrub nurse but worked her way up to become the Lead Robotic Nurse.

“It’s very overwhelming receiving that phenomenal award. It’s not an ordinary award that I received. I consider it as one of the best gifts that I have,” she said.

Receiving the award puts her in the same league as Keira Knightley, Eddie Redmayne, David and Victoria Beckham, and Liam Neeson who also received the OBE.

— Joy Adalia, The Summit Express



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