Segundina Salucop: A Tribute To A Nurse, A Mother, Wife and Friend

The Mangapit-Salucop home on Taft Street is gloomy and quiet. Even the weather seemed to agree with the emotions lingering in the newly-built home because it was a cloudy day and the rain was about to pour. To Wilfred Salucop, the storm has already arrived. The death of his loving wife due to leukemia came with a lot of sorrow. Tears fall over his cheeks. He then wipes them away taking care not to let his daughters see how painful it is to lose the love of his life.

The Death Of A Nurse

Dinah Salucop in Baguio City

An accomplished professional in the field of nursing, Segundina Salucop born as Segundina Lactaoen Mangapit served as the Chief Nurse of the Mariano Marcos Memorial Hospital & Medical Center for many years.

She was first promoted as the Assistant Chief Nurse at the age of 27 when the healthcare facility was still named Batac General Hospital. After over 35 years of service, Segundina Salucop died of leukemia at 1:38 in the morning on July the 27th, 2010.

Hailed as one of the sweetest individuals in her community -the City of Batac, Ilocos Norte, Philippines, Mrs. Salucop left a lot of people grieving. Her untimely death is something that the long-time nurse did not expect herself but according to her daughters, Segundina Salucop is in a much better place now.

Daughters Sigrid and Sissel

Although she was only 57 when she passed away, Dinah Salucop has accomplished so many things especially for the Mariano Marcos Memorial Hospital & Medical Center. She was the one who continually pushed for a partnership with St. Lukes and for the lung and heart centers at the MMMH & MC in the hopes of providing better healthcare services to Ilocanos. She continuously wrote to sponsors so that the hospital is able to support itself especially because Dinah experienced a time that the Philippine Government was not able to give the then Batac General Hospital a budget to work with. Through the help of the Chief of Hospital Dr. Ma. Lourdes Otayza and other Chiefs before her, Mrs. Salucop was able to lay a good foundation for the MMMH & MC’s entrepreneurial program and self-sustainability.

This is the hospital where Dinah Salucop worked for over 35 years.

The former University of the Philippines student dreamed big and she did not think that people should be limited just because of lack of resources. Instead, she believed that one has to do something to make something big out of something so very small.

With her exemplary leadership and passion for her work, Segundina Salucop also served as the President of the Philippine Nurses Association (Region I ) for many years. She gained friends and enemies along the way but her close friends say that as a friend, Dinah is irreplaceable and will always be remembered for her good deeds.

A farewell too early...

Her husband and her daughters wanted to put her to a better healthcare facility in Metro Manila but Dinah had faith in the capacity of her nurses and the doctors who still serve the hospital she worked for. She died under the care of friends and relatives. Sissel Salucop, her youngest daughter, said that Segundina Salucop went in peace.

Personal Life

Dinah was very shy as a child. Being the only daughter to two schoolteachers Jose Mangapit and Virginia Lactaoen, Dinah did not have many playmates. Her friends during her grade school years remained her friends even through the day of her death. These friends later on shared fond memories of Dinah to her family, relatives and friends.

She studied in public schools during her grade school and high school years until she finally went to the University of the Philippines to study nursing. Right after graduation, she immediately applied as a staff nurse at the Batac General Hospital.

She was given a scholarship for her Masters Degree in the early 80s when the now College of Law in the University of the Philippines Diliman was still the School of Nursing. She was not able to finish her Master of Arts in Nursing (MAN) during that time because hiring a typist for her thesis was very costly. She continued her MAN by finishing her thesis at the Northwestern University when her eldest daughter finally graduated from college in the very same university that Dinah went to.

Willy and Dinah Salucop at a wedding.

She and her husband, Wilfred Cuanang Salucop were friends as children. They lived close to each other and ended up getting married in their early 30s. Dinah and Wilfred have 2 daughters, they named them Sigrid and Sissel.

Even if, she and her husband only have two biological children, Dinah took care of many others. This includes cousins, staff nurses and distant relatives. Under her care, these “children” were able to attend school. Dinah started caring for others in more ways than one when she was still single. With her meager salary, she was able to put many individuals through school because she believed that if she did not help, no one else would have the heart to help them.

Dinah Salucop was a very good friend and was always there to offer help to the best of her ability. She once told her daughters that doing good is not asking for anything else in return and all through her very short life, Dinah did good deeds. She always reminded her daughters that even the small things count.

A Tribute To A Mother

Dinah Salucop is a great mother and much like all mothers, she made sure that her children are well-equipped to face the challenges of life. She is not only a mother to her own children though because with her personality, Dinah also played a role as the second mother to many of her staff nurses.

Dinah's eldest daughter Sigrid

Her daughters recall their mother  playing the piano in the home where she grew up. The old house, built in the late 50s, is described as a rather gloomy place especially if Dinah was not around.”She was the life of the place. If she was not there, Sissel and I were either asleep or running around the backyard. We would only feel safe and happy  if she was around.”, her eldest daughter says.

Taunted by her older sister as their mother's favorite, Sissel took up Nursing to follow the footsteps of her mother.

Sissel says, “Whenever she came home from work, she would hand us Pringles -they were and still are our favorite chips. When I was already in college taking up nursing, I realized that mommy did that so that we won’t hug her and get all of those germs and diseases she has carried from the hospital into her home. She then takes a shower while we are busy with our food.”

A Tribute To A Loving Wife

The couple were always invited as wedding sponsors.

Dinah was a very loving wife. Much like any love story, she and her husband faced many adversities but the two stayed together -forever faithful to each other. They always went on dates even when their daughters were already in college.

When Dinah had to attend her seminars in other parts of the country, her husband Willy could not sleep. Their love for each other is remarkable and as Wilfred Salucop said in his eulogy to his wife, his love for Dinah is eternal. Wilfred Salucop says, “Dinah is a very special person, not only to me but to many others especially those she has helped and befriended through the years. She is like no other.” Twenty-six years of marriage did not lessen the love Dinah and Willy had for each other.

Sissel Salucop recalls, “Mommy’s collection of love letters from dad is more than the love letters me and my sister have combined. One particular love letter we think is very special is a painting done by daddy for mommy’s birthday.”

Segundina Salucop Foundation

Segunda Salucop’s friends have been suggesting that a foundation for leukemia patients under the late nurse’s name should be erected. Her soon-to-be sons-in-law are contemplating on how to go about the said project. The encouragement of relatives and friends is overwhelming but Dinah’s daughters say that if God wills it, then it will materialize.

Sissel Salucop said “If that pushes through, we will be able to continue what mommy has started. Even through her death, she will still be able to help many.”

Former colleagues of Mrs. Salucop who are now based in the United States and the United Kingdom are now coordinating with her daughters regarding the Segundina Salucop Foundation.

Sigrid Salucop later added, “If this is done, then that’s great. If it is not done, there are still other ways to continue our mother’s legacy. I do not think it should necessarily be a leukemia-centered foundation. It could be something else. Before we can start doing that however, our family still need time to grieve. If mommy’s former colleagues would like to do it, then that is great news! And they are definitely welcome to do it”