Emma’s story
Emma was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer during her 6th year of employment in Hong Kong. Thinking of the higher medical expenses in the Philippines, she explained her concerns to her employer for a visa extension to continue treatments here in Hong Kong. She later contacted Filipino migrant organisations for help. Finally, she was led to Bethune House and stayed until recovery.
When Emma first felt unwell, her employer suggested that she visit their family doctor. Unexpectedly, the doctor urged her to go for a detailed check-up from a specialist doctor. A few days later, she was confirmed with breast cancer.
Since her insurance did not cover cancers, she paid most of the bills by herself. This kind of expense is considerably stressful for migrant domestic helpers as their monthly income is only around five thousand dollars. Although she received a small amount of sick leave compensation, it was still far from supporting a year-long expense.
Fortunately she reached out to Bethune House where other residents took care of her with love and support. Accompanied by her migrant friends at Bethune House, she followed a tight chemo schedule of 4 sessions every 3 weeks. Given her weak physical condition, she found it extremely hard to move around and participate in leisure activities like other healthy individuals. Discharged from the hospital, she spent most time resting so that the side effects of chemo could ease faster.
As time goes on, she can sleep and return to daily chores with ease. Also, she is free from regular hospital treatments but lifetime physical changes are apparent to her. Sometimes she still suffers from back pain which affects her at work. Despite her inconveniences, she considers herself very lucky because her employers have been kind and considerate.
Before coming to Hong Kong, she worked in Saudi Arabia. The salary in Hong Kong attracted her because she has a son to raise. Bethune House helped a mother to battle an unfortunate event in life. Emma received her ideal medical care which allowed her to resume working not only with her former employer once she recovered but also with another employer in Hong Kong once her previous contract was finished as well. Migrant workers see hope because of donations. Every dollar to Bethune House can brighten a life.
Written by: Jade Yiu, Translation Student at City University of Hong Kong
To learn more about Emma’s Story, you can check out her story covered in the Reporter’s Notebook.
