Employers paid $30k for her cancer treatment

Ms Helen Agpato (centre) with Mrs Jenny Lee, Mr Roland Lee and their sons Cornelius (standing), 22, and Jordan, 27. The 61-year-old maid has worked for the Lee family for 24 years.
Ms Helen Agpato (centre) with Mrs Jenny Lee, Mr Roland Lee and their sons Cornelius (standing), 22, and Jordan, 27. The 61-year-old maid has worked for the Lee family for 24 years. PHOTO: AZIZ HUSSIN FOR THE STRAITS TIMES
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When Ms Helen Agpato was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2011, her employers not only paid the $30,000 medical bill, but waited on her for almost a year until she recovered.

"Out of about 100 domestic helpers I know here, I can say only about 10 or 20 have employers as good as mine," said Ms Agpato, who is from Mindanao in the Philippines.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on June 16, 2018, with the headline Employers paid $30k for her cancer treatment. Subscribe