Family, healthcare workers mourn KC nurse who died after contracting COVID-19
A Kansas City family and nurses from around the region are mourning the loss of a longtime nurse who died earlier this week after testing positive for coronavirus weeks ago.
Celia Yap-Banago would have celebrated her 40-year work anniversary as a nurse at Research Medical Center next Tuesday.
But earlier this week, her family said, Yap-Banago, 69, died at her home, where she had stayed in isolation for about a month after experiencing symptoms of COVID-19.
More than 100 people, including many healthcare workers, gathered for a vigil Thursday night outside the hospital in her honor.
Joined by Yap-Banago’s husband of 34 years, Amado, and two adult sons, Jhulan and Josh, the crowd spread out in the parking lot of Research Medical Center. As the sun set, the group began singing “Amazing Grace” through their face masks as they held candles.
Josh Banago, 26, said his mother began feeling ill about a month ago after caring for a patient believed to be sick from coronavirus. She stayed home and eventually was tested March 25. Because of her symptoms, Yap-Banago was told to presume she would test positive and remain in isolation.
Family members later learned the test came back positive. Another nurse who helped care for the same patient also had a positive test.
Banago said his mother previously expressed concerns as the number of COVID-19 cases grew significantly in the United States, but after contracting the virus, Banago said he feared for his mother’s life and his father due to their age. But based on his mother’s decades of experience as a nurse, he said he felt confident she would recover.
There was “a swing” throughout the weeks, Banago described, as Yap-Banago gradually became worse before showing signs of improvement. Visiting his mother, bedridden at home, Banago recalled his mother feeling very weak. But she began regaining strength toward the end, he said, enough so that Banago said his mother was going to the doctor for clearance to return to work.
But on Tuesday night, as family went to check on Yap-Banago, they discovered things took a turn. Surrounded by family, Yap-Banago died at home.
“We don’t know exactly what happened, if it was directly by the virus or by complications by the virus. She was obviously sick for so long that being in that position, you become so much weaker. Was it directly the virus? Was it her getting sick from something?” Banago said his family wondered. “We don’t know. Ultimately, we just know the end result.”
The son said they have been planning a funeral and hope to have visitation for family and friends to say goodbye. Yap-Banago was an immigrant from the Philippines, her son said. She originally moved to Florida and eventually made her way to Kansas City, where she started her nursing career and raised her children.
Because the family has faced travel restrictions from the pandemic, Banago says they are trying to incorporate relatives in the Philippines by staying in touch and including them in daily prayers.
“She was a great mom, I can’t stress that enough. From all my friends reaching out to me, the one thing they all say — even though most of them have never met her — is that based on your character, seeing you, your brother, how you guys interact with other people, she had to be a very strong, independent woman, an amazing woman at that based on what she does and how she lives her life,” Banago said.
Donning scrubs for 40 years and caring for people amid a global pandemic, “now we know she is a hero,” Yap-Banago’s family earlier wrote in a statement to local media.
“I’m glad other people are learning about her and what she’s done,” Josh Banago said. “I’m glad (her story) is getting out there, and hopefully it all gets better soon, and people can learn from this.”
This story was originally published April 23, 2020 at 10:36 PM.
