Generations of healthcare workers
ON Mother’s Day this Sunday May 10, we wanted to share a beautiful and touching story of a mother who has been an EEN nurse with Anglicare Southern Queensland for the past 16 years and how her daughter followed in her footsteps at the same residential aged care home.
Vailo Kalepo is a mother to six wonderful children and has been an EEN for Anglicare Southern Queensland’s, Meilene Residential Aged Care Home for the past 16 years. Her daughter Cyrene is a personal care worker at Meilene Residential Aged Care Home and has loved every minute of it.
Vailo previously worked as a personal care worker before pursuing a nursing qualification.
“I became a nurse to further my skills and knowledge in healthcare and to provide the best inclusive care imaginable for individuals receiving care,” she said.
“Being a nurse is an extremely rewarding career because there’s always opportunities to further educate and expand my knowledge as well as working alongside other nurses that also contribute to expanding my skills within the workplace.”
Vailo said she has six wonderful children and appreciates every single one of them.
“Becoming a mother is an inexplainable feeling. It’s a mix of emotion that includes undying and infinite love but also a hint of craziness when my daughter leaves her dishes in the sink and says she will clean them later but never comes back to it,” she said.
“Being a mother made me appreciate my mother and all the sacrifices she made for me as a child.
“My mother was like my best friend, she shaped me into the mother I am today as she always wanted the very best for me and wanted me to be happy, and I hope my children feel that way about me.
“It’s an amazing feeling to be a mother to girls, my daughter is my best friend.
“Knowing she wanted to pursue a career in healthcare because of me made me extremely happy and proud of her. As long as she’s happy with her choices I’ll always support her.”
Cyrene said she was inspired by her mum’s dedication to helping people and how much joy her job brought her, which helped her pursue a career in healthcare.
“I currently work alongside my mother and I can honestly say it’s a privilege to work with her,” she said.
“I got into healthcare because of her and wanted to pursue a career in nursing as well.
“I enrolled into university to become an RN but I’ve recently changed my decisions to become a paramedic.
“My mother is my main influence with my career choice because I always saw how much joy her job brought her and I asked her if she truly enjoyed her job, and the smile that was on her face when she was talking about her job when I was a child was mesmerising.”
Cyrene said her mum is her best friend and that “sometimes we act like sisters more than a mother and daughter relationship.”
“I laugh my hardest laugh when I’m around my mum,” she said.
“I eat the best food with my mum as she always provides the best food for myself and my siblings.
“When it comes to my mum, nothing can fix a bad day of mine more than a hug from her.
“Growing up, my mum was and is my biggest supporter. Whenever I cried, she would cry with me.
“When I laughed, she was laughing. Whenever I wanted to give up, my mother was always there to push and encourage me and made me believe that I had no limits and could do anything I set my mind to.
“Any time I hang out with my mum is always a favourite mother daughter memory.”
Cyrene said she tore a ligament in her ankle last year and couldn’t dress it herself so her mum came over to her place at 11pm and dressed it and did her hair.
“At the age of 22, I’m still her baby but that night really showed me that a mother’s love for their kids is infinite and nothing can compare to the love of a mother,” she said.
“I hope I’m half the mother she is to my kids in the future.”
We would like to wish all our mother’s out there, a very Happy Mother’s Day!
Cyrene and Vailo appeared in the News-Mail on Saturday May 16.
