Celebrating the Life of Bernie Torrejon

To all of our dear friends and family,

 

It is with deep sadness that we, Popong (Ernie), Frances, Joe, Luca, Faye and Chris, share that our loving mother, wife and grandmother, Bernie, passed away on Tuesday, February 1, 2022 at the age of 58.

 

On Sunday, November 28, 2021, Bernie suffered a stroke due to a ruptured brain aneurysm and was hospitalized at St. Luke’s Medical Center Bonifacio Global City in Metro Manila for 32 days. In that time, she miraculously survived a second stroke, two craniotomies and multiple procedures with no deficits. We, Frances, Joe, Luca, Faye and Chris, were able to join our dad in Manila from the U.S. to be by mom’s side as she endured great pain. Those were long days of uncertainty, but by God’s grace, she was discharged from the hospital on December 31, 2021 just in time to ring in the new year at home.

 

Over the next few weeks, she rested and regained her energy as she mustered all of her strength for daily physical therapy and rehab. She worked her way up to sitting, eating on her own, video calling friends to connect, playing with her favorite, Luca, and eventually walking without help. She was so proud of her progress and overjoyed to regain her independence, and so were we. Her recovery even impressed the doctors and surgeons. We were able to share meals with her, chat about life and laugh together as a family in what we now know as our last good days with her – a gift we’ll cherish forever.

 

On Sunday, January 30, 2022, with no symptoms or prior signs, she suffered a third, very severe stroke that put her in a deep coma, which ultimately led to her last breath.

 

Bernadette, Bernie, Pangaa, Mom, Wawa, Nening, Badette, Barj, Berns – our mother, wife, daughter, sister, lola, tita and friend, you have given us the most precious gift: your life, unrelenting love, radical generosity and unmatched hospitality. No one ever went hungry because of you. You have been an unstoppable force in the lives of too many to count. You have invited many to meet your Creator and lived your life in selfless service. No words are sufficient to describe what you mean to us and how you’ve impacted our lives.

 

We are immeasurably grateful to have known you, loved you, and been so deeply loved by you. We are honored to carry forth your legacy forever. Rest easy with your Creator and suffer no more, beloved.

 

—

 

We know so many of you who love Bernie want to pay your respects and support our family in this time of unbelievable grief. As we are making arrangements and preparing to celebrate her life, we will post updates on this page with further details: www.facebook.com/groups/lifeofbernietorrejon. If you don’t receive a response from us right away, please be assured we’ve received your message and are grateful for your love and concern.

 

In the meantime, here are some ways to help:

 

***Please beware of fraudulent messages and scams. No one from our family will be messaging you directly via any platform for any reason.