I studied until Grade 10 in India. I came to Canada in 1975. I got married in 1977. In 1978, I gave birth to my son. I started working in a cannery at night and a farm during the day in 1980. I did this for 12 years. I learned English working at a Japanese farm from a colleague. We used to work 12 hours a day, communicating in broken English. I used to work all of the hard-labour farming machines–in the heat, in the snow. In 1991, I decided to train to be a care aid. I didn’t know any English. When I went to Vancouver, they took my interview and said my communication was good enough. As you know the control issues of Punjabi men, my husband and family refused to support me with my tuition. I finally gave my fees, but I was worried about my training being incomplete because work at the cannery would start in a few months. I knew my training would be incomplete. So, I drove from Abbotsford to Vancouver every day for 4 months, taking full-time classes. When my practicum happened, I was lucky enough for it to happen in White Rock. I was eager to learn. When they gave me credit, they said they couldn’t give me 100% because of my communication but they gave me 95% because of my diligence. Then, my husband left. We didn’t have much. We were in debt. He had control over all the finances. Finally, we stood on our own feet because I worked 2 jobs. I worked a night shift at a private nursing home that paid very little and worked the farms during the day. Nights, evenings and weekends I worked at the nursing home. I did double shifts for 16 years.

I’ve learned to never disrespect yourself. I always say I’m uneducated, but I now know I shouldn’t do that. There’s always an opportunity to learn something no matter how old you are.

If you stand your ground, nobody can throw you down. Every illness has a cure. There are so many treatments available for all kinds of illnesses. Never look for sympathy. Stand on your own two feet and never do anything to disrespect who you are as a person. Finally, always remember to stand with the truth, no matter how hard that may seem. When you support the wrong thing, you become wrong. Speaking one lie can unravel so many lies, and it just goes on and on. Be strong and be true to yourself. When you need to do something for the sake of the truth, you need to do it. I firmly believe that sometimes, money won’t solve your problems, but your sense of character will.