GONE too soon.
The death of Yana Bautista on Thursday came as a shock both for football and Philippine sports, which, until then, had been spared of the wrath of the coronavirus (COVID-19) disease.
No one expected Bautista, just 17 and so 'lively, stylish and comical,' according to her sister Martie, to become the athlete that would put a face to a dreaded outbreak that has claimed more than 2,000 lives in the country.
Yana was a promising talent who people close to her expected to follow her footsteps Martie, the former Ateneo courtside reporter and member of the Philippine women's national football team.
She just graduated from Miriam College and recently committed to Ateneo, where she was supposed to play for the Ateneo Lady Blue Booters of multi-titled coach JP Merida this upcoming UAAP season.
A defender, Bautista even suited up for Nomads FC in the 2019 PFF Women’s League in the team's first foray in the tournament.
She would have celebrated her 18th birthday this September.
"Yana had a lot of things planned out for this year," wrote Martie in a tribute posted on Facebook. "She had high hopes booting up for Ateneo as she was expecting to come in as a freshman this August. Yana was also thrilled planning for our future trips abroad as a family. Overall, we knew how exhilarated she was to learn how to drive as this September would mark her 18th birthday."
Unfortunately, a pre-existing acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM) - a rare disease affecting the central nervous system - that was made worse by COVID-19 got in the way of her plans.
Still, people close to Yana would rather remember her for the life that she lived, short as it was.
"She was a captain, teammate, friend, sister, and daughter. She was always lively, stylish, and comical," wrote Martie.
Martie's full tribute below:
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