Hi, my name is Raquel, and I am a long-time friend of Agnes de Guzman.

 

As many of you may know, Agnes was always a very cheerful person, the clown at every party, and sang her killer song Zombie with great passion. She was a devoted staff member in the NHS, a good friend, daughter,sister and a loving mother. She spent all of her life caring for others and putting other people before herself.

 

On the 10th November 2023, she was admitted to DGH Hospital in Eastbourne due to a high fever. Her first thought was that it was because of an infection, but then all the blood tests and scans were done, and her stay in the hospital became longer than 3 weeks, which then led to a month and over. Over the span of a few months, Agnes had become very weak and needed support to even have a shower.

 

Doctors could not find out what’s causing her illness and the accumulating fluid in her stomach, and she was treated for peritonial tuberculosis. She continued to stay in the hospital until December 22, when she decided to go home and spend time with her family and friends during the holiday. She waited for her test results and thinking her condition was treatable.

 

All of her family was by her side, and she had dutiful friends who kept visiting her every day to support her and make her laugh. She persisted in fighting with everything she had and continued to put everyone else first. She spent time with her mum before she returned to Manila,Philippines.

 

But then, on the night of 18th of January 2024, Agnes complained of shortness of breath and suddenly collapsed on the floor. Paramedics had tried to revive her from 11:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. but lost in their battle, and she was declared dead due to a cardiac arrest on the 19th of January 2024.

 

Agnes’s body now lies in the morgue; her last wish she had mentioned to her mum was to be cremated and sent home to the Philippines. We are trying to raise money to cover the expenses for Agnes’s funeral and her family, so they may lay her to rest with the rest of her family.

 

Any and all donations will be extremely appreciated. Thank you