Doctor misses his mother’s funeral due to COVID-19

IZMIR, Turkey

Medical specialist who lost his mother to COVID-19 during his own treatment period said not attending his mother’s funeral saddened him more than the illness itself.

A father of two, 64-year-old Adli Basar Gurbuz’s COVID-19 test came out to be positive in November.

The same day, his mother Ayse Gurbuz was also diagnosed with COVID-19 and taken to intensive care unit for treatment.

While Gurbuz was quarantined at home at the beginning, he was hospitalized after his symptoms became more severe.

Gurbuz heard of his mother’s death while he was at the hospital. Not being able to attend her funeral in person, he watched the funeral online thanks to his relatives.

After treated at the hospital for 10 days, Gurbuz was discharged and returned to his work at the primary care center last week.

Gurbuz told Anadolu Agency that he went through the worst days of his life due to COVID-19.

Noting that he had come down with various epidemics such as cholera, anthrax, and measles during his professional life, he said COVID-19 spreads much faster compared to other diseases.

“Actually, everything starts like a flu but it becomes intense quickly. I had difficulty in breathing in no time. The oxygen levels in my blood dropped. I was scared when I saw the lung involvement in the CAT [computerized axial tomography] scan as a doctor,” Gurbuz said.

He added that he received oxygen therapy at the hospital and continued the therapy at home by buying an oxygen device after he was discharged from the hospital.

“I lost my mom, the person that I love the most in my life, because of this disease. I couldn't attend her funeral although I wanted to so much. That made me upset more than the disease,” Gurbuz said.

“I recovered thanks to the treatment my colleagues provided. I missed breathing easily and deeply,” he went on.

After a period of rest, he returned to his work to fight against COVID-19 again.

Gurbuz also stressed the significance of getting vaccinated, as well as paying attention to measures of facial masks, social distancing, and hygiene.

* Writing by Dilan Pamuk in Ankara.