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From Philippines to Dubai, Imelda’s journey from poverty to hope
Gulf News
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2/15/2025
The journey of Imelda Diaz from the Philippines to Dubai was fraught with poverty, anguish, and aspiration
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00:00
My name is Imelda Diaz from Philippines.
00:11
I'm the youngest of nine siblings, and the only girl also.
00:17
My father is a dump truck driver, and my mom, I lost my mom when I was 12 years old because
00:23
of cancer.
00:25
And I think that's in our genes.
00:27
So I'm also a cancer survivor, and I still have that ongoing laboratory test.
00:34
And as I grew up, I remember because I'm from the poor family, I cannot forget the things
00:41
that we used to do when we were eating food.
00:44
You know the fried egg, we used to cook that one, and then we're slicing that into 11 pieces
00:51
so we can survive every day.
00:53
But I'm so glad and grateful that my dad is, he supported us all the way, even he's
01:00
the only solo parent at that time.
01:02
I'm so grateful that my dad sent me to the school even though I finished my studies,
01:08
I graduated as a Bachelor of Science, major in management.
01:13
I can tell you that I'm already married when I finish my four-year studies.
01:18
Then I had my daughter at the age of 23.
01:21
I got married when I was 22 years old.
01:24
So I think it's a love marriage, but what happened is it's not, it did not work out
01:29
because we're not compatible to each other, and I'm so ambitious.
01:35
I was working in retail also in the Philippines in Avanzon as a retail sales officer.
01:43
And then I heard one agency that they are hiring in UAE, and because I'm an ambitious
01:50
mom for my daughter, so I decided to apply going to UAE, and luckily I was chosen to
01:59
join EROS.
02:01
What happened is in the year of 2017, I went to the doctor and they told me that I have
02:07
a metastasis cancer in the liver.
02:10
But that time, I'm still struggling because my daughter is, she just finished her studies
02:16
in University of St. Thomas, so meaning to say, I don't have that much of money.
02:21
So I decided, and my HOD also decided that to send me back home to do that PET scan on
02:28
August 2017.
02:32
And then they find out that I have a stage 2 cancer in my thyroid, so they need to remove
02:39
my thyroid.
02:41
Sorry, actually I don't want to cry, but then 2017, I don't know what to do at that time
02:55
because what happened is, sorry, it's okay, I'm shaking.
03:09
2017, they found out that I have a cancer that I need to undergo with surgery, but I'm
03:18
empty-handed at that time.
03:22
I'm sorry.
03:29
That's why I'm so grateful and thankful to EROS.
03:33
What they did is, they contributed so they can send me back home to do the operation.
03:40
That's on February 2018.
03:49
They sent me back home to Philippines, they contributed, and I have that enough of money,
03:55
I know that, but I have to budget that.
03:59
Sorry, I'm so emotional.
04:03
I have a series of tests, there are so many tests before the operation.
04:12
She sacrificed so much for me and for her family, and even though I feel like she's
04:20
tired already, she still goes on and works because she has plenty of dreams for us.
04:29
And she wants to achieve more for us.
04:34
I feel like she's very selfless because she sacrificed a lot for us.
04:41
You've given me the world and you've given me wider opportunities, and without you, I
04:53
can never, I will not be here.
04:55
I mean, if you did not grab the opportunity and went to Dubai, we will not be here.
05:08
Dubai gave me everything, because what happened is, whatever dreams that I never fulfilled
05:13
when I was, because I got married at an early age, whatever I want to myself, I already
05:20
given to my daughter, and apart from that, it's a bonus that I'm helping my dad.
05:25
That will not happen if I'm not in UAE.
05:29
If I'll be back home, I don't think I can send my daughter to a prestigious school.
05:34
I don't think my daughter will be in Canada, and I don't think my dad is still alive now.
05:39
That's why I'm very thankful to ERAS and UAE also, that until now, I'm still, my family
05:47
and I are still okay, and still fighting.
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