An unexpected loss did not faze Lilia Vargas when her balikbayan niece arrived from Ireland on Monday after suffering a miscarriage.
On Monday, All Souls’ Day, Vargas waited for the arrival of her niece and three nephews at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3.
The four of them work in Ireland.
Lilia was hoping to meet her three-month-pregnant niece Lilith, who, unfortunately, had a miscarriage a month prior.
‘We were surprised… We thought we were going to have a grandchild. It turns out she had a miscarriage,’ Lilia told the Inquirer in an interview.
Despite the tragic news, Lilia kept a wide smile on her face, excited that she finally got to spend time with family, whom she had not seen in four years.
Homecoming
‘Let’s just leave it at that. We’re happy that, because of the Lord, they got home. The flight was okay. The trip was okay. They arrived safely. Everything was okay,’ she said.
Lilia also noted the importance of spending time with family, excitedly sharing that she would be taking her niece and nephews to Bacolod City.
‘It’s important for me and my family to meet up to bond. Let’s get together because there will come a time when you want to see each other, but then you can’t… So while there’s time to go, go ahead, go, go,’ she explained.
It was apparent that Lilia was the type to see the bright side of things, even in difficult times.
Support system
Talking to the Inquirer, Lilith said she was 11 weeks pregnant when she ended up at the hospital due to bleeding.
The cause is unknown, she was told. But with a month-long visit to her home country already set in stone, Lilith said that being close to family is the support she needed.