YANA BAUTISTA left an impact wherever she went. On track to become a key player for the Ateneo Women’s Football Team (AWFT), there was no limit to what she could have achieved. At only 17 years old, her tragic passing sent shockwaves throughout the entire Philippine football community. Despite her life being cut short due to Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis (ADEM), Yana touched the lives of many on and off the pitch.
A special kind of player
Yana began playing football at the age of seven. With her talent, she made her way up the ranks of the Miriam College Grade School team and often trained with older players. This exposure allowed her to hone her skills early on and paved the way for her to eventually become the captain of the Miriam College High School Team.
Like her older siblings Martie and Inigo, Yana’s dream was to play for Ateneo at the collegiate level, a dream that finally came to fruition when she was officially accepted into the AWFT in March.
For AWFT Head Coach Bob Manlulo, attitude and guts were Yana’s most impressive traits. “When you give her instructions to mark this player, she will really mark this player and give her [opponent] a hard time,” he shared.
An even better person
More than an athlete, Yana enjoyed exploring new things such as dancing, painting, and songwriting. As a student, she valued her academics and was part of the honor roll in high school. Those close to her knew that she would easily fit into the Ateneo system that expects holistic excellence from its student-athletes. “If she got into Ateneo, it would have been a breeze for her to juggle her extracurricular activities, including academics, because she’s just that type of person,” said Martie.
Beyond her reputation as a talented student-athlete, it was Yana’s personality that brought light to others. Coach Bob remembered her as someone who is kalog—always happy and easy to joke around with. As for Martie, Yana was always there to cheer her up when she felt frustrated or needed advice. “I would just tell her, ‘Today was really hard,’ and I would cry to her, and she would always be there to embrace me and tell me, ‘Marts, come on, you look so ugly crying right now,’ and I love that about her,” Martie said. Yana’s optimism shone in the worst times—even during her final moments.
Final battle
In March, Yana started feeling numbness in her left foot and weakness in her arms while also experiencing constant migraines. After a few weeks of uncertainty, Yana was diagnosed with ADEM—an autoimmune disease characterized by a widespread attack on brain tissue and the spinal cord.
In July, with Yana’s condition not improving, the Bautista family was referred to a specialist who had Yana tested for COVID-19 as a precautionary measure. According to the doctors, she caught a strain of the virus that targets the neurological system and instigates ADEM.
From then on, everything happened very quickly. On July 23, Martie woke up to the news that Yana received cardiopulmonary resuscitation and needed intubation. Not long after, Yana passed away peacefully in her sleep.
More than a number
Yana’s life proved that she is more than just a COVID-19 statistic. Among the six new deaths that day was someone with her whole life ahead of her. She was just a teenager excited to enter college and, eventually, get her first tattoo with her siblings.
“A lot of times right now the media portrays her as, ‘Up and coming football star.’ She didn’t plan those things. When you were an incoming freshman, were you thinking about graduating and becoming a lawyer? No, you were excited! Like, ‘Oh, it’s a new school, it’s a new set of people. I’m excited for this.’ That was her, an excited, incoming Atenean,” Martie said.
A star both on and off the pitch, Yana Bautista departed with her legacy intact. She will forever be remembered as an athlete, sister, daughter, and friend who was—and always will be—an inspiration and light to many.
