Sometimes you have to walk away from what you want in order to find what you deserve.”
Leaving her three children under the care of her husband just to work in Manila was the most painful decision she has ever made.
Mary Cris Sanchez, 35, of Brgy. Catmon, Altavas, Aklan decided to work as nanny in Manila to help her husband provide the daily needs and school expenses of their children.
The luck, however, is still with Mary Cris when she was chosen to be one of the scholars of the Municipality of Altavas.
Opportunity knocked on her door, Mary Cris did not want to miss it so she decided to go back to Altavas and enrolled herself at the Altavas College with the course of Bachelor of Elementary Education (BEED).
Another luck was when the Sanchez family was included in the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program which cover three of their children.
With free tuition, Mary Cris was able to manage her expenses in school as well as her children’s expenses from high school and elementary at the same time.
However, the income of her husband from peddling tricycle was not sufficient for their daily needs.
Having her small saving earned from previous job plus the income of her husband, Mary Cris decided to venture into small business like selling kakanin or native delicacies.
Mary Cris brought her delicacies to their school to sell them to her classmates every breaktime. Her three children also volunteered to sell in their classes.
The family has been into this livelihood more than two years already until one day Mary Cris’s husband Roger was diagnosed to have a dystonia – a state of abnormal muscle tone resulting in muscular spasm and abnormal posture.
Mary Cris said upon knowing that the illness of her husband had no cure, she conditioned herself and their children that they need to strive hard for their family to survive.
Mary Cris is very thankful with the understanding and support of her three children.
Time passed by, Mary Cris could not imagine how she survived from four years of struggle. Now, she is holding her diploma after graduating on April 5, 2016.
“Before, I am always holding my basket full of kakanin but now I am holding my diploma that reminds me of all my tears and sleepless nights overcoming all the hardships I have in my life,” she said.
Presently, Mary Cris is taking her review in preparation for the Licensure Examination for Teachers (LET) on October this year.
Mary Cris hopes that she could pass the board examination so that she could apply and have a stable job that could sustain the needs of her family especially the maintenance of her husband.
“Thanks God and to the program because it has helped us a lot to realize our dreams,” she said.//Montesa G. Caoyonan/dswd6