Lou Ann’s seasons: finding answers to her whys 

Many of our childhood experiences shape adult life. For Lou Ann Buenaventura-Alterado, being mature at a young age helped her face the realities she later experienced in life. As the second child and only girl among five siblings, Lou Ann grew up taking care of her younger siblings, especially because her parents were both working.

Young Lou Ann also learned the value of adapting to changing situations. Growing up, Lou Ann’s family had to relocate from one address to another — from Tacloban, to Eastern Samar, and Northern Samar. It was not an ideal setup, but it helped her adjust to different people and environments.

Lou Ann is a nurse by profession, but she admitted that she was immediately involved in humanitarian work shortly after getting her license. Little did she know, her dedication would be immediately put to the test.

Finding hope in a hopeless place

In 2013, Super Typhoon Yolanda hit the country and Tacloban was among the extremely devastated provinces. At that time, Lou Ann was in San Jose, a coastal area situated near the airport. She can still clearly recall the horrors of that night. Amid the howling winds and heavy rains, Lou Ann remembered praying intently. “Doon lang ako nag-pray talaga nang ganoon to forgive.”

It served as an eye-opener to Lou Ann. The disaster exposed a lot of inequities in all areas of governance in the province. But when everything seemed hopeless, Lou Ann found a ray of hope in the outpouring of help they received from people across the globe.

It was a turning point in Lou Ann’s life. Since then, Lou Ann has dedicated her life to emergency response operations, recovery and rehabilitation initiatives, and other partnerships with LGUs in Region 8. “Doon ko na-feel ang sense of fulfillment in the work that I do, [in] helping others,” said Lou Ann.

Why didn’t she pursue clinical practice? Amid the hapless conditions, Lou Ann found her answer.

A reframed mind 

Lou Ann worked as a clinical nurse in rural health units in Leyte, which exposed her to the challenges present in the health system of their province. However, Lou Ann also admitted that she had very little appreciation for public health at that time.

Soon, Lou Ann heard about an organization that engaged municipal health officers and mayors in Eastern Samar. She was curious about the training since it is not every day that a non-profit organization would directly involve local chief executives in its program. Hence, Lou Ann jumped at the chance to apply to the Zuellig Family Foundation (ZFF) when she saw an opportunity in 2016 as a Project Assistant for the Community Health Partnership for the Poor Program.

During the interview, Lou Ann remembered shedding a tear when asked why she chose public health. She recounted the time when her brother suffered from dengue. His life was put on the line, and they had a hard time finding blood donors. Their finances were also depleting. It was an instance that showed her how unprepared the Philippine healthcare system is for situations like that. It almost cost the life of her little brother.

When she joined ZFF, Lou Ann rekindled her hope for the country’s health system. The Filipinos can do something about it, Lou Ann thought. She said that working in ZFF made her realize that changing health systems is more than supplying supplies, medicines, equipment, and other provisions. What ZFF does is system transformation. “Nagbago ang mindset ko kung ano ang public health work. Namulat ako sa realidad ng mga munisipyo,” Lou Ann further shared.

Lou Ann admitted, however, that working in ZFF would require a lot from the staff. “It’s something personal. May challenges sa work na hindi lang work. May effect siya sa’yo, sa buhay mo,” said Lou Ann. Lou Ann found herself asking her reasons for staying. Things seemed to get harder each day.

But every time she traveled to the LGUs, especially in the underprivileged communities, Lou Ann found the answers to her whys, one after the other. Every time she talked with members of the community, she felt renewed hope.

Lou Ann saw the value of her work in other people’s lives. One time, Lou Ann recalled a municipal health officer who told her that he was on the verge of giving up. “I didn’t know the conversation we had helped him stay in the municipality. After that nag-thank you siya. Little conversations help pala. Iba talaga ‘pag ZFF. Iba ang ZFF way,” Lou Ann further said.

Lou Ann also shared that ZFF paved the way for her to meet her husband. When she looks back, she realized that meeting the love of her life was also an answer to her whys.

ZFF reframed Lou Ann’s mind. ZFF work opened her eyes that being a nurse is more than going abroad for what most people think as “coveted greener pastures”. “Mas nakita ko ang need sa health professionals sa Pilipinas. ZFF changed not just the way I look at the health system, but also the way I see life,” Lou Ann ended.