The Rebirth Of Iza Calzado

How COVID-19 has given her a new lease on life

- Jane Kingsu Cheng

Dry cough, sore throat, fever, and loss of appetite—these were the symptoms that ce-lebrity Iza Calzado had for almost a week before she got whisked to the hospital. Aside from trying to cure herself with natural remedies, she was also hesitant to get tested for COVID19. “At that time, test kits were few and far between,” recounts Iza. Her doctor friends advised her that they weren’t sure if she could get tested, because there weren’t enough test kits to go around.

On her own

Upon the assurance of friends who told her she would be fine because she was young, she thought she could fight this battle on her own. “There are people who need the test kits more than me,” she adds. Not wanting to seek the extra attention, especially since she was considered a public figure, she tried to endure the pain at home.

Since her symptoms started showing on March 13, Friday, she would hold her breath for 10 seconds every morning, and she was able to do so. It was a self check gauge Iza learned online, but it proved a myth because she suffered greatly in the end. “It was my mistake. I didn’t want to make a big fuss, and I tried to let them (the symptoms) pass,” says Iza.

Ask for help

Because the symptoms persisted, with her cough and loss of appetite (a first for her) getting worse, Iza and her husband Ben Wintle decided to have her admitted at Asian Hospital and Medical Center on March 20, Friday. That was the day she took her first COVID-19 test. She was still sprightly, but the first diagnosis was exactly what they feared—pneumonia.