After immigrating to the United States, Saba lost her husband. She worked tirelessly on her education while taking care of her children as a single parent. Upon finding Neighborhood House, she no longer journeyed alone, finding stability for her family and acquiring her dream degree.
Shortly after our family moved to the United States, my husband began to have painful headaches that lasted for days. When we went to a doctor, we learned that he had terminal brain cancer. I was scared.
While my husband was in the hospital, we planned for a life without him. I spent many hours at his bedside studying for my GED, and talking with him about the life we wanted for our children.
His doctors and nurses were so kind to my family, always taking the time to make sure we understood what was happening. As I began thinking about how I would provide for my family, I knew I wanted to be someone who would bring comfort to other people.
After a three year struggle, I received my GED, and said goodbye to my husband for the last time.
Afterwards, I took online college courses to pursue my Medical Assisting degree while supporting my children. However, there was no in-person support, so I struggled to understand assignments in English or find help for editing papers.
On a warm summer afternoon, as I was in line at Sibley Manor for a produce distribution, a friendly, bearded man wearing a Neighborhood House shirt spoke with me. He asked if I had ever thought about attending college, and when I replied that I was a student, he introduced me to Kristen.
Kristen and I became friends immediately. We both laugh easily, and she listens to me when I share my experiences and have questions about my assignments and education. Today, I now have my Medical Assisting degree and am studying for the citizenship exam.
Life can feel overwhelming at times. It’s challenging, but I feel lucky to be building a better future for my family.
7/26/17