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Samuel Devaraj
The new role
October 9, 2020
A Sunday outing in Pulau Ubin placed a Filipino domestic worker in intensive care for 10 days, during which she underwent two operations on her inflamed brain.
Calapini Marilou García, 50, had cycled to the island with two friends on September 27.
After the friends reached the end of a slope, there was no sign of Ms. Marilou.
After waiting a while, they backed up and were surprised to see Ms. Marilou lying on the ground in a daze next to her rented bicycle.
The three friends did not wear bicycle helmets.
Two bystanders who stopped to help called the police.
One of the friends, Ms. Clarissa Rigdao, told The New Paper: “She was still conscious. There was no bruising or bleeding, but she kept saying that she felt dizzy while lying on my lap.”
While they waited for the police to arrive, Ms. Clarissa learned that something was seriously wrong when Ms. Marilou started vomiting.
Her employer, Madame Jeanette Mok, told TNP that Ms. Marilou was conscious when she was taken to Changi General Hospital, but her condition rapidly deteriorated.
Doctors had to perform two procedures: the first to insert a pressure monitor into his brain and the second to remove a part of his skull to relieve the increasing pressure on his swollen brain.
Madam Mok, a 37-year-old couples counselor, said: “The surgeon told us that depending on the areas of the brain that were injured, he could lose his ability to speak, his motor functions and his memory.”
Earlier this week, however, Ms. Marilou showed signs of recovery as she was able to move her eyes and clench her fingers.
On Monday, Madam Mok organized a video call between Ms. Marilou and her family in Ilocos Norte, Philippines.
Ms. Marilou was able to greet them and even recognized her oldest son, a teenager.
On Wednesday, she was transferred to a high dependency ward after 10 days in the intensive care unit.
Ms Marilou, who also has a daughter, has been working in Singapore for almost 20 years. She started working for Ms. Mok in January of this year.
Throughout Ms. Marilou’s ordeal, Ms. Mok and her husband, Mr. Brian Mak, 37, have been eagerly awaiting good news.
She recalled how they were extremely worried when Ms. Marilou did not return home on the day of the accident.
Ms. Marilou, who was always home at 9 pm on her days off, also did not return her calls and messages.
They learned of his accident only after they went to the police to report him missing on Monday morning.
Madame Mok said, “She is not someone who would party. I thought maybe she had been kidnapped or even murdered.”
Describing Ms. Marilou as responsible, conscientious and loving, Ms. Mok added: “She takes care of us very seriously. She is also affectionate towards our dog and pampers him regularly.
“This ordeal has been difficult because she is a good person and we cannot believe that something like this happened to her.”
Ms. Clarissa, who has known Ms. Marilou for about five years, said that she is cheerful, cheerful and like a big sister to her.
When asked why they didn’t wear helmets, Ms Clarissa said: “There were no helmets for those who rented bikes, and the bikes looked old and of poor quality.”
Steven Lim, Vice President (Safety and Education) of the Singapore Cycling Federation, said: “A helmet is a mandatory requirement for anyone riding a bicycle on the roads of Singapore.
“Rules aside, this is about taking precautionary measures against serious injury. A helmet will protect the rider in the event that they fall and risk serious head injury.”
Lim said that cyclists should bring their own helmets when renting bicycles, as helmet rental may not be feasible for hygiene reasons.
Madame Mok said that the hospital bill has reached $ 52,000 so far, while the insurance coverage is only $ 20,000.
The couple have taken to fundraising platform Give.asia to raise money, as the total bill is estimated to exceed $ 200,000. As of yesterday, about $ 46,000 had been raised.
