"A single mother sacrifice "

"A mother can sacrifice everything even if it means risking her health for the sake of the family ".

It's not my story, it's my friend, who is working abroad as a domestic helper. Here in our country a lot of Filipino women works abroad to earn money to support their family. How I wish that they can find a job here in the country so that they will no longer be separated from their loved ones.

She is a single mom with two kids and decided to go to work abroad 3 years ago and she's kept going back there after her contract has expired and renewed again. She has been mistreated by her boss the second time of working abroad by not giving her the right food and locking her inside the house for several days without food.

When came home last year, she got sick and had a problem with her heart. I don't know what is it specifically is her illness but she experienced difficulties in breathing and fatigue.

Last night she chatted me that she's sick right now, I was sad to hear that, she had a check-up the other day, which is a blood test to find out what her real condition was. Her decision will be based on the result, she will be going home after 2 weeks. I feel her sadness with what happened, she's eager to work, but her health won't allow her to do so. Her body became so thin, and her immune system is getting weaker too because she always had a fever these past few days. As of now, she wasn't able to work, she just stayed in a room to rest and wait for the findings.

There are nine people to serve each day, washed their clothes and iron them after, then she also cooked their food, plus she will clean the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd floor. When I knew everything that she did for her work, my tears were slowly falling, I feel pity for her with how did she make an effort just to earn money for her kids. It's not easy, working and having a very short time to sleep, that's why her health becomes worse.

I was thinking while I'm home, cleaning the house makes me tired, how much with her, that seems she was cleaning the whole building. An overseas worker is a living hero in their family. We might think that they are living a good life because they can send money back home but in exchange, they shed tears, are exhausted and are sleepless and they had sacrificed everything for that matter.

A heart of a single mother was now become sad, because she was thinking about the future of her kids, to send them to a private school and buy their needs in this coming school year. I can still feel that she wants to work but her body makes her quit.

When we had a conversation before, she told me that she wants to work abroad because it's the only way for her to support her kids and her parents, it seems that she carried heavy baggage on her shoulder while shes working. Her family asks her for money for their food, birthdays, and special occasions and she didn't complain. And now, that she's sick, there will be some changes for them, with her parents and siblings.

I can feel the heaviness in her, thinking about her children on what will the future bring if she will quit working abroad but I told her that she needs to prioritize her health before anything worse happens. It's not easy to get sick especially when you are far away from home when nobody will take care of her.

The good thing is, that her employer had helped her with her expenses with check-ups and buying her medicines for maintenance.

For a single mom who has responsibility for her children, she's a great hero for standing alone. But for now, she needs to go home. What makes her keep on fighting is her children, thinking about the future, education, and basic needs, and giving them a life she wishes for her kids.

This teaches me that," we make a plans, we work for it but we don't have control over it ".

My friend is a hard-working person, she has promising plans for her kids, but for now, it's time to think for himself. For how many years of working overseas, she just ignore the symptoms that she feels, until she was brought I the emergency room.

If we have families abroad, it doesn't mean that we already have an unlimited ATM, that we can ask for money whenever we want.

I feel guilty when I chatted with her last time, because her brother told me to ask for money to buy school supplies for his children, and she replied that " galuya ko wen", or I am sick. I feel guilt why did I just say yes when my brother told me to message her?

For now, her family can't depend on her every time they need something, they have to strive on their effort without thinking that their sister had money, because she's no longer able to send them anything.

I just hope that when she will be back home, her family will treat her well, unlike before when she has been mistreated by her mother because she can't support her children.

I think nobody has planned to become a single mom, right? It just so happened that she was very unfortunate to have a boyfriend who didn't want to take responsibility and just live her alone. Sometimes, people are judging her for what she did, that she already had "karma", with her past mistakes, but I think it's not fair to blame a person who is suffering. Instead, it's the time to show her support, love, and care because that is what she needed.

End notes:

The past and present administrations in our country have given their words that they will create more jobs for the Filipinos, I just hope that it will come true, and not remain as plain words alone. The good thing is, that former Congresswoman Sol Aragones's bill proposed for single parents was already approved, that all single parents can receive financial support from the government, just like senior citizens, they just need to have a valid ID, and apply for their municipality. Although it's not too big, it will help the kids when they go to school every day.

For all the parents, single parents, as we continue our efforts in our work for our families, we should never lose hope, things may change, our health,what's important that we have done our part, and we take responsibility for our children.

Thank you all for reading.

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