This month, we are paying tribute to our moms. In many ways, in-home care is about celebrating our elders and what they’ve done in life and continue to do for us, for others and for their communities. More often than not, our mothers play a significant role in how we view the world. We thought that sharing how they’ve helped members of the Midnight Sun Home Care community would be a fun way to honor them.
Today, Lori Sablan, a caregiver with MSHC, talks about her mother and stepmother:
My stepmother, Magdalene, and my father raised eight kids together. I was the fourth oldest and was with them until I was 16. When I found out that my stepmom had lung cancer, I traveled all the way from Guam to Pennsylvania to take care of her. With my daughter, my niece and my father, I helped with her medications, bathing, taking care of the household, etc. Near the end, we did have hospice come in and sit with her, so I could get out and do household things. They do a good job in their field and that was helpful to us.
I saw, firsthand, what a shame it is to have to go through chemo; what a person has to deal with up until their last breath. It was tough. She passed away at age 54. It was also tough because none of her biological children came to see her before she died. Seeing all of that gave me more compassion, particularly for the sick and elderly who have no family nearby. And I sure do appreciate the families who take care of their loved ones.
That experience was basically what got me into the field of healthcare. I’ve always been a people person, but after that, I took a health technician course and have been working with the elderly since 1990. So, in a way, I can thank Magdalene for that. Taking care of her as well as taking the health care technician course, gave me the hands-on training that you need in this field. If you don’t have the training, you can hurt yourself or your client.
My siblings and I got a second chance with our real mom and I spend more time with her now. She lives down in Florida, but we talk regularly and I get a lot from her. She is in her early 70s and still going strong—but as soon as she needs me, I’ll go there. She’s a cancer survivor and lives happily with my step dad. I spend as much time with her as I can, because with the studies I did in school, I’ve seen too much neglect and abuse of the elderly. It’s inspired me to help others give their loved ones the care they need. 
Both my mother and stepmother have inspired me, along with the clients I work with—because of the willingness they have to just keep going.
I love both of my mothers and from both of them, I learned that you get your schooling, you put your feet on the ground and you move forward. You learn from your mistakes. We see it everyday: a lot of kids need to fall on their face before they can move forward. You just don’t let anybody stop you from doing that. That’s what my mothers taught me and I am grateful for it.
