A HEART-BROKEN nurse who worked on the frontline throughout the Covid-19 pandemic is appealing for help after her father died from the infection.

Stephanie Magbanua’s father Nilon Polves had recently retired and was looking forward to his retirement at home in the Philippines.

However, after contracting Covid last Saturday, he died within a week. He was only 59 and had been double vaccinated. He was also fit and healthy having served as an army Major for 30 years.

Now, Stephanie, who helped to save lives as a nurse at Colchester Hospital during the pandemic, has pleaded for help to pay the expensive medical bills the family now owes.

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If they can’t raise the money soon, they could face a lawsuit to add to their devastation, as healthcare is not free in the Philippines where her father died.

“It didn’t look too good immediately as he had to have his blood cleansed because of how much the infection had progressed,” said the 31-year-old.

“He was intubated on Monday and we hoped he was getting better but then he turned for the worse.

“My dad didn’t even survive a week, his body just started shutting down.”

“I feel very broken; it felt like cold water was poured all over me when I heard, I did not expect dad to end up the way he did.”

Stephanie now won’t be able to say goodbye to her dad, as his body had to be cremated almost immediately due to still testing positive for Covid while deceased.

Her family is now battling to find the money to pay for the care he received, a sum predicted to be at least £9,000.

“Dad would always reassure me they didn’t go out and he was cautious about catching Covid, it concerned him,” added Stephanie.

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“There’s no way around it, unfortunately. Even if you follow the necessary precautions, you can’t control what other people do.

“My dad had recently retired, he didn’t even get the chance to enjoy what he had been looking forward to.

“He was always very good to me, he was a resilient man. We were never well off but I grew up comfortably because of my dad’s hard work.

“What I would say to people is protect yourself and the people you love, please. Covid is still a serious threat to us.”

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