#TeamNorthMid blogs

Words by Gina Raymundo

My name is Gina Raymundo, one of many overseas workers from the Philippines, who like most Filipinos, dreams the ‘British dreams’ not only for myself, but for my family.

I am a registered midwife by profession and have worked for 14 years in my home country in the hospital and in the community. I came from a poor family of five children. My parents were both  factory workers. During my second year of studying midwifery, my parents lost their jobs, so I had to help my mother with daily expenses by selling fruits and vegetables and doing laundry. My father provided with fixing watches and wall clocks. I saw my parents’ hard work just to give me a good education. I promised myself that I will do my best to finish my studies and make them proud. With my determination to succeed, I graduated in midwifery with second honour. When I started working, I helped my other siblings finish their studies before I got married.

After I graduated, I took the National Midwifery Board Examination, and I passed with the highest mark. That mark helped me get a job easily as a staff midwife in one of the maternity lying-In clinics in Manila. After working there for two years, I applied in a private hospital in Manila, and I got the job and worked there for ten years. Due to financial difficulties, I applied in the United Kingdom in 2004 and I was so blessed to be chosen. I came in July 2004 and I started my first job as a senior carer in Ingleborough Nursing in Lancashire. I left my husband and two children: Andrew was 6 and Bea was 1 year old when I flew to work in the UK. I worked seven days every single week to save up to get my family over and I did it! After 1 year of working in the nursing home, I managed to get my family. After 4 years, I started looking for a job in London and I was lucky to get the job at North Middlesex Hospital in 2009. 

Sometimes, life doesn’t go how we wanted it. In August 2009, my husband was diagnosed with cancer and passed away after 6 weeks of diagnosis, just two days before we got our permanent residency and before I was about to start on my new job. I am very thankful for the people in human resources  at North Mid for keeping my job post until we finished the burial of my beloved husband in the Philippines. I started my new job in North Mid in Oncology Department in October 2009. Everyone was nice in oncology ward. My manager Blessing, allowed me to have a flexible rota, so I can work and have time with my children.  It was so hard. I don’t have any other family in this country, but I am blessed to have church family and colleagues who helped me with the children.
During my ten  years in oncology ward working as healthcare support worker, I have learned so much about patients with cancer. We don’t only look after patients, but also their families. I have done many training and up until now in the antenatal clinic, I still apply the skills I have gained. During my time in oncology ward, we joined two nutrition day contests in which we won first prize on both contests - one was in March 2017 with the theme, Royal Tea Party and the other one was in March 2018, Teddy Bear Picnic Party. We also organised our fundraising booth during nurses’ day in May 2018 and 2019.
 
In October 2019, I  got a new job as maternity care support worker in antenatal clinic Some days I work as a phlebotomist and some days as a support worker. . I enjoy working in antenatal as I can use my knowledge I gained in the Philippines. I love talking to mothers about their journey in their pregnancy. I love seeing them so excited to see their babies being born, especially for the new mothers and for those who waited to become pregnant for so long. We look after patients of diverse ethnicities in a fair way.  In December 2019, we joined the Best Dressed Ward Christmas Decoration’ and we won 1st prize Our winning streak has continued on to this day.

Creativity in antenatal clinic

Why I am so passionate with crafts and arts especially with Christmas decorations? Lots of people ask me this question. The answer is, it brings the memory of my childhood. Christmas is my favourite time of the year. As I came from a poor family, our family has got no capacity to buy nice decorations during Christmas. My dad used to cut down tree branches, cover them with green tissue paper and that will be our Christmas tree.  I and my siblings would look for an empty candy covers and put some stone in it and hang them on the tree. I love looking on Christmas Cards with chimney, socks and nice Christmas tree. So now that I have all the means I can use for the decorations, I use my talents to do the same as my dad did!  Just last year, antenatal Christmas decorations are 100 % recycled from different kinds and sizes of boxes. I made everything from cardboard and used papers. Our personalized Christmas tree was adorned with babies’ scan photos and mothers. Christmas socks are also dedicated to our patient and their family. We won the grand prize. 

Poverty is not a hindrance to one’s success.

If you work very hard, nothing is impossible. Determination- that is the word. One word that changed my life. One word that can defeat poverty.  I studied hard, I  went to school even though the money I have got in my purse is just enough to get a bus to come home. I had to have a full stomach before coming to school because I don’t have a single penny to spend for my snacks during the day. I graduated and passed my board examination and that’s the one thing that brought me here in the UK. I lost my husband when my kids were only 9 and 6 years old, alone in the foreign land but that did not stop me from aiming a good life for my precious children. Now, my son Andrew is 24 years old, and Bea is 20, both happy and successful. I started to learn baking and decorating online and I started my own baking and decorating business in 2017. If everybody is determined and works hard, nothing is impossible with the help of God

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We thank Gina for taking part in our #ThisIsMe blog series which focuses on the incredible diversity of our workforce across North Mid, beyond the usual protected characteristics of age, disability, ethnicity, religious beliefs, gender, sex and sexual orientation.

Please help us encourage fellow Trust colleagues to do the same by sharing this post.

Feel free to share any feedback or comments. If you wish to share your own story or think you know colleague who might want to share their thoughts, ideas and experiences about diversity, please contact our communications team at northmid.comms@nhs.net.