A Caregiver’s Heart
A Caregiving Story

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When I first came to America,

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I saw the potential
to give a better life for my kids.

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That's why I stayed.

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Let's face it,

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Philippines is a hard country.

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As a single mom,

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I have to provide for my family.

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I have to do what I have to do,
and I came here.

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The sacrifice is enormous.

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My children became motherless

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and I became a childless mother.

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But no regrets.

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I’m Just checking on you.

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I spend a lot of time here
at Bette's house.

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I live with her literally
almost five days a week,

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um for five years now.

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- One, two, three.

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I'm a florist back home.

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And I run a flower shop
for 24 years.

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As a florist, if the flower gets
wilted,

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you can throw it away.

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Can you step forward, please.

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A little bit.

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But with caregiving
you're dealing with human beings,

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not just the physical
but also the emotional.

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For us caregivers

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it’s a complicated job.

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This is her home,

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and she knows what she wants.

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They may say that you’re
like a housemaid, but

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try to be on my shoes.

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If you don’t have that heart,

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you can’t do it.

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The quality of life
is very important,

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because no matter how rich you are,
if you're bedridden

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that's not a quality of life.

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Ok, let’s do the lipstick.

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And I love it.

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From my heart, I love it.

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So I think I have a caregiver’s heart

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from the very start.

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Okay, smudge it.

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Like that.

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Perfect.

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Here’s your morning papers.

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I've been in America for 18 years

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and I'm missing my family back home.

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I left Miguel when he was
six months old

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to do the caregiving job.

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Now he’s 18.

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He never had a mother's touch.

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A mother's love.

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Okay.

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Lunch.

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Miguel came here two years ago.

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I was really hoping and wishing

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and praying that
he'll continue his college here.

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But he said, ‘No, mom,
I want to be back home’.

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And I don't want to take
that happiness from him.

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Then I said, ‘Okay’.

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communicate with me every day.

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Okay?

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Just say, ‘Hi, mom. I'm okay’.

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That's it.

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That's all I want to know.

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[Crying]

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[Crying continues]

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I’m going to miss you.
Mmmhmm.

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I know.

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I'm deliberating

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if I should stay or not

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because it's a crunch in my heart

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that he’s leaving
and I'll be alone here.

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But I have to finish my commitment
with Bette.

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I'm the primary caregiver of Bette.

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Three years ago,

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I promised that I have to finish
Bette.

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You're good?
Mmmhmm. 

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It breaks my heart.

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But at the same time,

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I know he will be okay.

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I know he will be happy.

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And I will just monitor him
from here,

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just like what I'm
doing with Bette, with the monitor.

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I stayed

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to give them a better future,
to give them an option.

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And that goal and mission

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is already fulfilled.

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So. Yeah.

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I'll stay. I'll stay.

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Maybe I'll
stay. I'm definitely stay.