Will o’ the wisp of a girl

From the start, Michelle Marcos knew that her stay on the island would only be for a short time. Unlike most contract workers who have stayed far too long enough, Michelle, who works as a physical therapist for one of the home health services on island, came in only in late April this year; next month, she’s going back to Manila to prepare for her next stop, Michigan, USA.

“Oh, don’t leave yet,” her friends on Saipan would say. But others envy her, saying, “Wow, I wish I can easily move out like you.’

As for Michelle, “I truly enjoyed my stay here. It’s a short stop, but it’s okay. I’ve got to get going.”

Since she was a kid, her mind has been fixed on going overseas. A sad reality, she admits, in the Philippines where 8 million of its people are working abroad. Her mother is a nurse who works in a hospital in Riyadh Saudi Arabia. Her mom has been working there since 1982 to the present, interrupted only for four years beginning 1990 due to the Gulf War.

“She advised me to take up Physical Therapy. She said, it’s in demand,” she said.

She studied the course diligently and got a degree after five years. After working as a volunteer after graduation, she followed her mother to Riyadh, but she was assigned to a different hospital, where she worked for about two years.

Sometime in 2004, when she was already back in Manila, she got a referral to work for a healthcare facility in Michigan. “To me, it’s exciting. I know this is what I’d be doing: going places,” she said, smiling.

NO MARCOS CONNECTION

Michelle has become used to questions like: “Are you related to the Marcoses?”

Although her Oriental features resemble that of the late Philippine strongman Ferdinand Marcos, she says, “I’m not [part of that] family.”

“My great, great grandfather is from Ilocos, but that’s it. There’s really no direct link,” she said.

SAIPAN LIFE

Michelle first learned about Saipan from her uncle who lives in Guam. She went to Guam over a year ago to take a U.S. certification PT exam, following her being accepted at a healthcare facility in Michigan. It was through a referral that she got a job at the Marianas Visiting Nurses here on Saipan.

She begins work at 8:30am, visiting patients, mostly elderly, in their homes, for, as her title suggests, physical therapy.

Most of her patients, she said, suffer from diabetes or its complications, paralysis, and stroke.

“I teach them how to exercise,” she said. “It sounds simple but it’s a totally different set of exercise. Our goal is to help them live a near-normal life,” she said.

Although her work involves mainly administering a physical workout, it is not as easy as it appears. “Working with people suffering from an illness or handicap is extra challenging. You’ve got to be sensitive to their needs, and patient in explaining why you have to do a certain thing. You also talk with family members and you trust that when you’re gone they’d do your advice. You’ve got to monitor their progress,” she said.

In this field, she said, a seemingly ordinary thing such as making a finger move is considered a big progress.

“I feel most relieved and happy for my patients when we achieve something. When a bedridden patient gets to walk, it’s most exciting. That’s a goal accomplished for both of us,” she said.

Her kind of work, she said, makes her more appreciative of life, health, and physical exercise. “We sometimes take exercise for granted, but it’s truly important. It’s amazing how a simple movement can help preserve the health of the brain, for instance, because it’s interconnected,” she said.

Physical movements, she said, make the brain signal back and therefore, work and not degenerate. “Brains cells are the only cells in the body that do not regenerate,” she said.

She said, though, that a person’s faith works wonders for his or her condition. “To me, a person who believes he will get well will get well soon,” she said.

As a Christian, she said, her service to patients goes beyond their homes. “I pray for them,” she said.

Outside work, Michelle calls on her awesome musical talents to let off steam. She does not only sing but also plays the guitar on Sundays at church.

She goes to the Life in the Son Christian Fellowship. “Music has been my passion since I was small,” she said.

FAREWELL

On Nov. 20, Michelle will leave Saipan, ready for her next destination.

“It’s another environment. But it’s okay, I can easily get along with people,” she said, smiling.

Her cheerfulness reflects an aura of confidence that says, “I’ll be okay because God is in-charge of me.”