autumn/winter 2021
honouring our nurses from the philippines Everyone in the Tŷ Hafan family leaves their mark, no matter how long they are with us. A group of children’s palliative care nurses from the Philippines made the long trip to Sully over 20 years ago and have been integral to the hospice ever since. Livet Eyao, Emee Miller, Mai Mai Mallari, Myra Belonio, Gigi Ricaforte, Leila Gariando and Anne Alog have made Tŷ Hafan their home for the last two decades and to mark this anniversary on 1 July, Tŷ Hafan paid tribute to their dedication, personal sacrifice and hard work at the hospice in Sully.
“Their work ethic is second to none and they are all about family. Individually, and as a team, they have always been there for Tŷ Hafan, so on behalf of all of our colleagues I just want say thank you, because I am not only very grateful for all that they do, but I am also very grateful for all that they are.”
Beth Morgan, Head of Hospice Services, said: “We’re here to acknowledge two decades of service from this dedicated group of nurses from the Philippines.
Gigi Ricaforte, Deputy Lead Nurse, recalls moving to Wales: “When we left our homes in the Philippines to come to work for Tŷ Hafan we were given the opportunity to have a better life. We came here for the jobs. We did not then realise that it was about so much more than work and while we had left our own families behind at home, we were coming into the Tŷ Hafan family.
“Twenty years of children’s palliative care nursing is a huge achievement in its own right, but the pressure of the pandemic has been incredibly challenging for them. Everybody has struggled throughout the past 15 months, but this group of Tŷ Hafan nurses have also had to deal with being thousands of miles away from their families and loved ones, during one of the scariest times I think we can all remember, when their own community was particularly hard hit by Covid. “Despite this, they have been here, day in and day out, in PPE, supporting the children and families we work with. “There is no other way of putting it - I am in awe of them all. They are wonderful, wonderful people, caring, dedicated and ultra-professional.
“We have always been so grateful for this. We love what we do, and we do it from the bottom of our hearts.” Anne Alog, Lead Nurse, who has been working for Tyˆ Hafan since 2001, said: “When we first arrived, we didn’t know what to expect but we have had the opportunity to grow and develop our skills. It is a privilege to work at Tŷ Hafan.” Chief Executive Maria Timon Samra paid tribute to the nurses: “You have given twenty years of your professional lives to our charity. What you have done for children with a life-limiting condition and their families whom we look after, is extraordinary.”
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