“A MOTHER is someone who doesn't get tired nor sick even if she is. She is someone who won't give up on her children. She is strong and brave but gentle and caring.”
This is what 39-year-old, a mother of four, and married for 15 years, Michelle Mae Medalla said when asked to define “mother.”
As a career woman, Medalla said working and taking care of children is not an easy task.
When she started her journey in the food industry as a restaurant manager of a known fast food chain in the country, she was still single, but in the middle of her career, she got married and had a child.
Medalla said she needed to juggle her job and take care of her first son, and the demand of her job is not just about sitting inside her office.
“In the food industry it’s not just handling people but also you have to deal with sales, standards, and it's like managing your own business, it's my daily routine,” she said.
However, after almost six years of working in the company, an incident involving her son Marcus needed her attention.
“Ang uban mo-resign for greener pasture or naay mas dako nga offer but for me wala’y ing-ana (Some would resign because of greener pasture or they have received a big offer, but that’s not my case). I resigned because of my family,” she said.
“Niabot sa point nga (It came to a point when) I was called to be a mother, isa palang akong anak that time and nagka-dengue akong son (I just had a son, and that time he got dengue), so it’s like a calling for me to be hands-on and to be at home,” she added.
She said it’s not an easy feat as she has to sacrifice her career for her family.
“For two years, I didn't know what to do at home because I am not a homemaker, dili ko galuto (I don’t know how to cook). I was raised as a working student, and as a child, I was exposed to academics,” she said.
“It was very hard for me because I kept finding myself, I kept asking God nganong naa ko diri sa balay Lord? Wala gud ko naga-earn, ginagmay lang [kung naa man] (why I am at home? I am not earning that much),” she added.
Until such a time, she met families who have been homeschooling their children. Seeing how it benefited their children, she opted to homeschool her child.
“Murag didto na na-enlighten akong (It enlightened my) mind. This might be the reason God has called me at home so that I can be present for my kids and also use the skills and talent that God has given me to bless others as well,” she said.
It was also through homeschooling that she was introduced to claying, which made her realize that she has a knack for making crafts.
This led her to establish an online business specializing in making customized crafts.
With homeschooling and her crafts business taking off, she was able to spend time with her family and earn for the family. By this time, Medalla and her husband already have three kids, which included twins.
Eventually, she expanded her business as her family grew bigger. From an online crafts business, Medalla now is also operating a printing business. With the printing business, they were producing notepads, and notebooks, to name a few.
As everything seemed to settle into place, Medalla and her family would encounter another bump in the road in 2021. Her eldest son, Marcus, was diagnosed with a stage 4 mediastinal germ cell tumor.
“Nag-stop gyud ko og work ato, tapos nahibal-an pa gyud nako sa hospital ato na I was pregnant [fourth child] (I stopped my work at home, and then I found out I was also pregnant with our fourth child). So, it was also hard,” she said.
Despite the situation the family faced, she said she was still blessed that they were surrounded by good people that helped them sustain the medical needs of their son.
The challenges did not stop there with the sudden death of her best friend in 2022. Ingrid, her best friend, died of cancer.
“When she passed away last year, mura ko og napungkol (a part of me was lost). I relied so much on her, and then knowing that she passed away due to cancer, murag makit-an pud gud nimo ang future sa imong anak (I can also foresee that this will happen to my son),” she added.
“I do not know if makaya nako if kuya (I will be able to accept it if he) will pass then,” she said.
She said for three months she has suffered emotional damage that affected her business.
“Nalugi ko, wala ko’y halin and nagkautang-utang (My business was going down and I was in debt),” she said.
Despite the challenges, Medalla continues to move forward.
“Dili man ko pwede nga dili mag-work kay I have a family nga naga-rely sa akoa (I need to work to sustain my family). I have to let go of Ingrid as well,” she said.
Months after dealing with the darkest days of her life, Medalla is now back on her feet to face the world.
“My family makes me strong and the community that I belong to. Even if everything has happened, God is here,” she said.
As she moves forward, Medalla said she’s now ready to open a physical store to cater to her other clients.
She said those mothers who want to become an entrepreneur, they need to have passion.
“Find your passion because you really can’t juggle motherhood and a business if you’re not passionate about what you do, the business will not last long if you’re not passionate about it,” she said.
Also, she said those who are already mompreneurs should stay focused.
“Never give up and listen to distractions but listen to advice and feedback from the people around you. That's the only thing that you can do to grow your business and manage it,” she added. KSD