As COVID-19 continues to claim many lives across the country, health care workers continue to risk their lives to provide medical attention to the Filipino people.
Dr. Dennis Tudtud passed away on March 31, a few days after his wife.
One of the first who specialized on oncology, he heeded the call to become the specialist for Cebu and Cagayan de Oro. He later became the President of the Philippine Society of Medical Oncologists. Before his death, he was practicing at the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center, the University of Cebu Medical Center and at the Perpetual Succor Hospital.
He was remembered as a loving father by his children, Deborah and Dennis Thomas.
“I will forever miss our Daddy Den’s selflessness,” his son said in tribute.
His daughter shared how once she asked him to buy red pencils: “I only asked for a handful.. he gave so much more..”
Dr. Tudtud was also remembered as a very generous doctor. “He would even pay for the chemotherapy sessions of some of his patients just so their families could spend more years with them,” his son recalled in a Facebook post.
His former patients also mourned the loss of the doctor who helped them recover.
Dr. Tudtud was a devout person. He was a member of the Brotherhood of Christian Businessmen and Professionals (BCBP). He played violin as a member of the Music Ministry.
The UP Manila College of Medicine Class of 1979 paid tribute to “a favored brother, treasured colleague and an incomparable friend.”
He was remembered as someone who gave his all at everything he’s involved with, and as a generous and selfless giver.
“Rest, Dennis; yours was a job passionately achieved,” his former classmates’ tribute ended.
As of April 2, 4:00 pm, there have been 2,633 cases of COVID-19 with 107 deaths and 51 recoveries. A nurse and 17 physicians have succumbed to the disease while 5 percent are in quarantine, according to an officer of the Philippine Medical Association. Frontliners across the country have been calling for more personal protective equipment as they struggle with the pandemic.
