From Philippines to Dubai, Imelda’s journey from poverty to hope

Gulf News

The journey of Imelda Diaz from the Philippines to Dubai was fraught with poverty, anguish, and aspiration

Transcript

00:00My name is Imelda Diaz from Philippines.

00:11I'm the youngest of nine siblings, and the only girl also.

00:17My father is a dump truck driver, and my mom, I lost my mom when I was 12 years old because

00:23of cancer.

00:25And I think that's in our genes.

00:27So I'm also a cancer survivor, and I still have that ongoing laboratory test.

00:34And as I grew up, I remember because I'm from the poor family, I cannot forget the things

00:41that we used to do when we were eating food.

00:44You know the fried egg, we used to cook that one, and then we're slicing that into 11 pieces

00:51so we can survive every day.

00:53But I'm so glad and grateful that my dad is, he supported us all the way, even he's

01:00the only solo parent at that time.

01:02I'm so grateful that my dad sent me to the school even though I finished my studies,

01:08I graduated as a Bachelor of Science, major in management.

01:13I can tell you that I'm already married when I finish my four-year studies.

01:18Then I had my daughter at the age of 23.

01:21I got married when I was 22 years old.

01:24So I think it's a love marriage, but what happened is it's not, it did not work out

01:29because we're not compatible to each other, and I'm so ambitious.

01:35I was working in retail also in the Philippines in Avanzon as a retail sales officer.

01:43And then I heard one agency that they are hiring in UAE, and because I'm an ambitious

01:50mom for my daughter, so I decided to apply going to UAE, and luckily I was chosen to

01:59join EROS.

02:01What happened is in the year of 2017, I went to the doctor and they told me that I have

02:07a metastasis cancer in the liver.

02:10But that time, I'm still struggling because my daughter is, she just finished her studies

02:16in University of St. Thomas, so meaning to say, I don't have that much of money.

02:21So I decided, and my HOD also decided that to send me back home to do that PET scan on

02:28August 2017.

02:32And then they find out that I have a stage 2 cancer in my thyroid, so they need to remove

02:39my thyroid.

02:41Sorry, actually I don't want to cry, but then 2017, I don't know what to do at that time

02:55because what happened is, sorry, it's okay, I'm shaking.

03:092017, they found out that I have a cancer that I need to undergo with surgery, but I'm

03:18empty-handed at that time.

03:22I'm sorry.

03:29That's why I'm so grateful and thankful to EROS.

03:33What they did is, they contributed so they can send me back home to do the operation.

03:40That's on February 2018.

03:49They sent me back home to Philippines, they contributed, and I have that enough of money,

03:55I know that, but I have to budget that.

03:59Sorry, I'm so emotional.

04:03I have a series of tests, there are so many tests before the operation.

04:12She sacrificed so much for me and for her family, and even though I feel like she's

04:20tired already, she still goes on and works because she has plenty of dreams for us.

04:29And she wants to achieve more for us.

04:34I feel like she's very selfless because she sacrificed a lot for us.

04:41You've given me the world and you've given me wider opportunities, and without you, I

04:53can never, I will not be here.

04:55I mean, if you did not grab the opportunity and went to Dubai, we will not be here.

05:08Dubai gave me everything, because what happened is, whatever dreams that I never fulfilled

05:13when I was, because I got married at an early age, whatever I want to myself, I already

05:20given to my daughter, and apart from that, it's a bonus that I'm helping my dad.

05:25That will not happen if I'm not in UAE.

05:29If I'll be back home, I don't think I can send my daughter to a prestigious school.

05:34I don't think my daughter will be in Canada, and I don't think my dad is still alive now.

05:39That's why I'm very thankful to ERAS and UAE also, that until now, I'm still, my family

05:47and I are still okay, and still fighting.

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