A retired nurse from Queens who nearly died from COVID-19 returned last week to The Mount Sinai Hospital’s cardiac intensive care unit—where she once worked—to thank the colleagues who saved her life.
Theresa Francisco, 69, a resident of Far Rockaway and a native of the Philippines, had spent over 38 years as a critical care nurse at Mount Sinai before retiring in 2020.
On Thursday, March 27, she stepped back into the unit where she was hospitalized in critical condition during the early days of the pandemic.
“I can still remember everything—being a nurse and being a patient,” Francisco said. “When I came in, I thought it would be just a couple of days. I didn’t think I’d end up intubated for 10 days.”
She spent 42 days in the hospital in the spring of 2020 after contracting COVID-19, a time when the cardiac ICU had been converted into a specialized COVID unit to treat the overwhelming number of patients. Her illness progressed rapidly, and she was placed on a ventilator. For the staff who had worked beside her for decades, it became a fight to save one of their own.
Francisco’s return marked an emotional reunion. Accompanying her were her brother and sister-in-law—both of whom were also treated at Mount Sinai for COVID-19 and survived—and Cynthia Enrile, a fellow retired Mount Sinai nurse also from the Philippines, who cared for COVID patients during the surge and was among those who looked after Francisco.
Francisco’s journey mirrors the experiences of many Filipino American nurses, who make up a significant portion of the U.S. nursing workforce and were disproportionately impacted during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the National Nurses United, nearly one in three registered nurses who died from COVID-19 in the U.S. in the first year of the pandemic were Filipino.
Mount Sinai Hospital, part of the Mount Sinai Health System, was on the frontlines as the virus overwhelmed New York City hospitals in March and April 2020. At the peak, the system handled thousands of COVID-19 patients, redeploying staff and converting units—including the cardiac ICU where Francisco worked—into COVID-only areas.
Five years later, the unit has resumed its normal operations, but the legacy of those early pandemic days lingers.
Francisco still experiences lingering effects from the virus, including fatigue and shortness of breath. She is living with cardiomyopathy and sees a Mount Sinai pulmonologist every six months.
But she says she’s grateful every day—for her life, for her family, and for the colleagues who gave her a second chance.
“This unit was my life’s work,” she said. “And when I needed help, this team gave me everything. I’m here because of them.”
