BAYBAY CITY, Leyte — VSU Senior High School student Jia Kissel Bornias died on February 26, 2018 after five days in a coma in Tacloban City. The cause of her death was Hypokalemic Periodic Paralysis, her mother Sylvia Bornias told Amaranth in an interview.
Hypokalemic Periodic Paralysis is characterized by the weakening of muscles due to a decrease of potassium levels in the blood.
Jia died five days after she slipped into a coma, caused by cardiac arrest, at the Eastern Visayas Regional Medical Center (EVRMC) in Tacloban City.
On February 19, Monday, Jia was rushed to the VSU Hospital, where she was diagnosed with Urinary Tract Infection (UTI), suffering from severe bowel movement and vomiting.
Her mother, Sylvia, recounted giving her child a food supplement, on that day.
"Ang amo ra gikaon ato kay kan-on unya ang sud-an kay linat-an ra nga baboy, unya ang ako duha ka anak na si Jia ug si Jan Anna, gipainom nako ug usa ka food supplement, duha ka sachet ang ako gipainom ani nilang duha kay salig kaayo ko ani na food supplement," Sylvia said.
The family transferred Jia to the EVRMC on February 21, Wednesday, where they informed she only had 1% potassium left on her blood.
On the same day, Jia suffered a cardiac arrest that eventually caused her coma. She died five days later at 2:20 AM on February 26, the next Monday.
Jia Kissel Bornias was in the Accountancy, Business and Management (ABM) strand. She was 17 years old.
Her mother, Sylvia Bornias, is a snack vendor at the VSU Department of Liberal Arts and Behavioral Science.
Editor’s Note: The Bornias Family is calling out to the hearts of Viscans for help. Those who wish to offer financial assistance for Jia’s burial, you can contact her mother through this number: 09355608959.