A Facebook post by overseas Filipino worker Jhon Carlo Delos Reyes, recounting how he tried to save the life of an elderly passenger during a flight home from Saudi Arabia, has struck a chord online, drawing 2,600 shares and 330 comments.
Delos Reyes, a nurse, wrote that he boarded an early-morning flight from Jeddah bound for Manila, expecting an uneventful 10-hour trip home to reunite with his family. About an hour and a half before landing, he was woken by an announcement asking whether a doctor or nurse was on board.
He did not respond to the first call, assuming another medical professional was already attending to what might have been a minor issue. When the request was repeated, he stood up and identified himself.
By the time he reached the passenger — an elderly woman he referred to only as “Nanay” — two other nurses were already assessing her. She no longer had a pulse.
The three began resuscitation efforts, alternating CPR, use of an automated external defibrillator (AED), and repeated assessments, continuing as the aircraft approached the Philippines. The situation prompted an emergency landing in Vietnam so the woman could receive a higher level of medical care.
The flight, originally due to arrive around 8:00 PM, landed in the Philippines close to 11:00 PM.
In his post, Delos Reyes said he never learned the woman’s name or anything about the family waiting for her. He described feeling physically and emotionally drained, but above all saddened that a mother making her own journey home did not make it back to her loved ones.
“This is the flight I will never forget,” he wrote.
He used the experience to reflect on the unpredictability of life, urging readers to tell their families they love them, to forgive, and not to put off what can be done today. He closed with a message to the woman’s family, writing that although those on board could not bring her home, they tried everything they could to fight for her life.
