My long-time helper is back after a Stage 4 cancer diagnosis. I’m grateful
The writer’s helper of more than 30 years is well enough to work again and he reflects on what home means to migrant workers who’ve spent most of their lives in Singapore.
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For some domestic helpers, home spans both the place they came to for work and their birthplace, where people they cherish still live, says the writer.
ST ILLUSTRATION: MANNY FRANCISCO
When our long-time domestic helper M was diagnosed with late-stage breast cancer in Singapore three years ago, our immediate priority was to get her the best treatment possible. Together, we had decided that she would seek care back in the Philippines.
We flew to Manila with her, accompanied her to a hospital in nearby Quezon City where she would be treated, and helped settle her in before she started 18 rounds of chemotherapy.