Ottawa, Ontario
Caregiver who was set to be deported for being sick allowed to stay
Calls it a ‘miracle’ and is grateful
Analysis
Teodoro ‘Ted’ Alcuitas
Editor, PhilippineCanadianNews.Com (PCN.Com)
The Filipina caregiver who was set to be deported on January because she became ill of chronic kidney disease has been allowed to stay in Canada, her employer Dr. Cathy Kyeremanteng shared in an email.
Kherin Dimalanta was diagnosed with a kidney disease just months after she arrived in July 2017 to work with the couple Doctors Cathy and Kwadwo Kyeremanteng in Ottawa.
Her daily dialysis costs around $40,000 a year, almost twice the annual health-care cost threshold of $21,204 set by the government. That made her ineligible for permanent residency and deemed an excessive burden.
But her bleak prospects of being sent back to the Philippines generated a wave of support from the community while her employer spared no efforts to keep her in Canada where she is assured of better treatment. Advocates lobbied to have her remain in Canada.
A GoFundMe initiative was started which is still ongoing and has donations of over $4,000 at the time of posting.
The 33-year old worked in Hong Kong for five years before moving to Canada under the federal government’s Live-in-Caregiver Program.
Related story:
Immigration:Should Kherin Dimalanta be sent back to the Philippines to die?
The news that Dimalanta was given her Permanent Residency Card (PRC) last Thursday(October 21) was relayed to PCN.Com by community advocate Narima Dela Cruz after she was informed by Dimalanta’s employer, Dr. Catherine Kyeremanteng.
According to Dela Cruz, Dimalanta’s application for Humanitarian and Compassionate application was approved in June but the employer wanted to wait for the final approval to share the news. Dela Cruz worked behind the scenes to help keep Dimalanta in Canada.
We requested a comment from Dimalanta who sent an email to philippinecandiannews.com.
“Thank you for your interest in writing my story. It has been shared to the public through CBC early months of this year that I am struggling on my application because of my current health condition. I am a dialysis patient and that is the challenge on my application. With a supportive employer and family however, I am able to overcome it and last week we received a decision from the immigration saying that my permanent residency is approved. It was an amazing pleasant surprise. I am in so much disbelief. I screamed and cry of relief. I felt like something has been lifted off my shoulder. The entire family is elated and excited of the decision. Overall, we are very grateful of the decision. It is a great blessing and glory to God.
I told my family back home on the same day, they were happy and pleased. It is beyond words.
Before coming here, I worked in Hong Kong as house helper for five years. Cathy and Kwadwo hired me from Hong Kong, so I left from Honk Kong to Canada in July 2017.
If there is anything I can say to the readers, I hope they will find inspiration in every little good thing everyday. We go through different phase of struggles in this life and it makes this existence & experience so human. We have to be in charge of our emotions and direct our path to where we want to be. Life is a gift, breathe and always choose to fight fairly. We can not dwell on hardship and sit ourselves in pity. We can always find a reason to keep going, day by day, prayer by prayer. Everyday is a miracle and everybody is entitled to happiness and success. If today is my miracle and happiness—- tomorrow might be (can be) yours! We just have to work hard for it.”
Her employer, Dr. Cathy Kyeremanteng had this to say of the approval.
“It is with incredible gratitude and a full heart that I share this wonderful news tonight…
Kherin has been granted Permanent Residency in Canada!! 🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦❤️❤️❤️
What a long and indescribably challenging journey this has been for her. But we are truly rejoicing in this news today!
Thank you to everyone who supported her! Every little thing made a difference. So many of you wrote letters, donated money, and did so much to share your support, either by sending your love and support to Kherin and us or by sharing her story with others. We simply cannot say thank you enough.
It’s hard to truly put to words the extent of what this means for her, but a few things stand out immediately: she can travel home to see her children (for the first time in over 4 years). She is eligible for healthcare here. She is eligible for kidney donation. She can work and study freely in Canada. She can apply to have her children join her…. These things that we are so privileged to get to take for granted here in this beautiful, developed, and free country. May she and her children know all these opportunities and freedoms well!
What a beautiful day 😌
We hope this news brings light to your day. Know that what you did made a truly big difference in Kherin’s life ❤️❤️❤️
Endless love and huge hugs to you all!
Cathy, Kwadwo, Kherin, and the boys.
Great job there Narima .. and thanks to Ms. Dimalantas’ employer, who employed and supported her in her struggle to remain in Canada! Kudos to you all!! May your tribe prosper and remain to be a blessing to other people!!!