BY HEIDI M. PASCUAL
While vacationing in Houston, Texas a few years back, I heard a beautiful love story which I want to share with you for Valentines Day. It’s a story not many people hear every day, for it’s not a typical boy-meets-girl affair and voila, both fell in love after a while, regardless of length of time being together in dates and/or mutual living arrangements..
As we may know, Texas is home to many international oil companies. One of the bigger oil companies located in Houston employs an extraordinary man. I said extraordinary because he’s quadriplegic, yet his brains work extremely well, so much so that only a handful other employees could match his wisdom, decision-making, and technical knowledge of the oil industry. This man has two undergraduate diplomas-- in geology and petroleum engineering--graduating at the top of his class in both courses, and a PhD in the latter. Unfortunately, a vehicular accident in his 20s left him paralyzed from the neck down and barely kept him alive. It’s amazing how he accepted his fate and went on with his life productively.
I could only think of Steven Hawking as probably the only person comparable to him. I will name him Thomas for this story. Thomas is well known throughout the company as its lead asset, despite being unable to even climb an oil rig or hike with other geologists or engineers to find black gold. To his company, Thomas has always been indispensable, such that they offered him a stockholder’s portfolio that he couldn’t refuse, and a salary rarely offered to able-bodied employees with similar educational background.
What many people do not know is Thomas’ secret for staying “happy” and satisfied with his life.
Right after Thomas’ accident, his parents contacted friends in the Philippines to look for a full-time, stay-at-home caregiver who’d be willing to make life easier for Thomas. It was difficult to find one willing to “sacrifice” his/her mobility in the United States, for Thomas needed someone beside him 24/7, providing ALL services to a quadriplegic who could hardly speak. Thomas’ parents eventually flew to the Philippines to interview possible job-seekers, hoping to find the best match for Thomas. Their son needed a committed person preferably with some nursing or medical background. They have heard so much about Filipinos as exceptional caregivers, nurses and doctors in the U.S. They just wanted to get someone directly from the country, believing it would make a lot of difference, compared to getting a caregiver in the U.S. on a per-hour basis. -- READ MORE