The Pinay Mom in Nebraska USA

09/20/2025

His food cravings.
These past few days husband sent me to a restaurant to pick up his favorite meals. He asked me to make him home cooked Mac & Cheese and spaghetti. He loves them all but he never ate them.

I asked his nurse why it’s that she explained that it’s normal to mentally crave for food but since his body is changing so does his appetite. All day, husband only had a few bites of Oreo cookie, a couple bites of bread and for tonight a few cherry tomatoes.

09/19/2025

Our 14-year old daughter. A self-proclaimed daddy’s girl 100%! She takes really good care of him. She prepares and gives his medicines and his breathing treatment every night.

Whenever her daddy has “hard moments” she’s always helping me despite during ungodly hour. Whenever I wake her up and ask for help she never complains. She gets up in seconds.

She gives her daddy a tight hug, rubs his back, gives him kisses to his forehead, holds his hand and assures him that it will be okay.

She makes sure her daddy is always comfortable and she always wants to see him smile. Sometimes I question myself why my husband and I get this blessed of having them.

09/19/2025

Trying to get some work done at home but a furry companion insists to be a helper…

09/19/2025

He got a visitor this morning. Her name is Mia. They’ve known each other for ten years now when husband helped our friend to get her. She was five years old then. Mia gets a long so well with my husband and always excited whenever she sees him. She’s always close to him and always wants to be petted.
Since my husband is always tired and sleepy and the hospice nurse came in, our friend and Mia had to leave and went back home.
His nurse asked what’s the dog’s name and my husband can’t remember.

09/19/2025

Husband only ate a spoon of mashed potatoes at 12 noon today. No solid food in the morning. Just sips of coffee, Dr. Pepper and Gatorade.

I asked what he likes to eat for supper and he said he’s not hungry. And it’s almost 8 PM.

09/19/2025

Life’s blessing
A year ago I decided to change company. Same industry but fresh start. I was ignited by a challenge when a company out of Texas reached out to me and offered me to build the ground up for their caregiving business. I enjoyed working for my current bosses for the past four years. They’ve been so good to me and to my sister (on-call specialist in the Philippines).

My husband did not want me to leave my bosses because he knew how they treated me so well. But hard headed as I am, and just getting back from my 3-week off from the Philippines for my grandmother’s funeral, I went ahead and put in my 30-days resignation notice. I felt the timing was right. Husband rolled his eyes on me lol. I told him if this is a mess up it’s all on me.

The company flew me out to their headquarter in Texas. Everything was paid for— flight, food, hotel, lunch with the recruiting team and an in-person interview with the big bosses including the Founder. They offered me the job right on the spot and everything was a great offer.

I have a good supervisor that I get to meet virtually every week for twenty minutes. She’s not all about the company’s performance. My office’s performance. She checks in on me and other Operating Directors. She’s not only my coach but my guide and great supporter.

When she learned about my husband’s situation, she felt sorry for me and the girls and reminded me of the available unlimited time off I can have just to be with my husband. I still get to work at home whenever I can since my husband spends the entire day sleeping.

Yes I feel guilty knowing that I’m still getting my paycheck in full but doing some work remotely to help our office here and there makes me feel better.
This is not the first time I received packages from our company and from my supervisor. They sent me Christmas gift, random gift, birthday Amazon gift card, and got this package that our daughters excitedly opened and showed to my husband.
Some people get lucky with the company they work for and I can say I am lucky.

09/18/2025

Happiness for us doesn’t come from having everything, but from being together, supporting each other, and holding on through the storms.

We’ve traveled. We enjoyed going out on Sundays to have family breakfast at a family restaurant or lunch at Grand China Buffet or eat at our favorite Mexican restaurant.

We work as a team raising our two young daughters. We shared school drop off/pick ups or attending to their school activities or sports events.

The proudest thing I can say is that our daughters have a very caring, funny and loving daddy since day one of their lives.

Pic: our first family vacation in the Philippines in 2013 🇵🇭

09/18/2025

I’m thankful to be working in health care community not only I work with them professionally but knowing a lot of them for so long they become a friend that I can call or reach out to especially in our situation.

I asked my RN friend what these all means- not eating and not enough fluid intake, if it’s normal or we have to push more food and fluids to make sure he’s not getting hungry or thirsty. She advised that it’s normal part of the transition process, and no, he’s not hungry nor thirsty. Because if he does he’ll let us know.

This morning for breakfast just only a few sips of hot coffee and cold Dr. Pepper then back to sleeping again. And no company request for the day. He just wants me and his nurse😊. So I canceled our caregiver’s and his friend’s visit today.

09/18/2025

Husband’s appetite changed dramatically. There is no such thing as eating full meal anymore since he came home. We still encourage him to eat more because food is our energy. I’m not a big eater myself but the way he eats right now I often wonder how can you make it through the day with that little amount of food.

But tonight he asked me to cook him something hot- one of his favorite Filipino soups. So I made it only for him to say that he’s ready for bed and just took a few sips of Dr. Pepper instead.
Am I disappointed? Absolutely not. I love cooking. And we love him dearly. We are here supporting him fully.
What my husband ate and drink today?
Breakfast before 5AM:
2 pieces of Oreo cookies and a cup of coffee

Lunch at 11AM: 4 pieces of cherry tomatoes and water

Supper: No food intake but Dr. Pepper

09/17/2025

I’m officially on leave. I still do some work at home (paperwork and calls/emails) especially when my husband is sleeping. I love my work so much and my supervisor told me to focus on my husband and family. He spends most of his day sleeping. Maybe it’s because of his medications or his body is telling him to.

We have good and hard moments each day. We take it day by day. We made sure that he knows and feels that we are here surrounded by his loving family. Thankful for his hospice care team, dear friends and family and even neighbors that are always checking in. He’s consuming less food, less fluids. He would still ask some of his favorite food or drink but only to take a few bites or drink here and there. He needs transfer assist from bed to wheelchair. He always says “he’s way different now like he used to” and that frustrates him. That bubbly personality is not like the old ones. He can still throw a joke or some orneriness but not like before.

In this journey, I’m learning that life’s greatest gifts are found in presence, listening, and simply being there.

09/17/2025

09/16/2025

We love home cooked meals. I love cooking. Husband and our youngest love grilling hotdogs and steaks every summertime when it’s nice and decent outside. Since he’s been home his appetite is not what it used to be. He eats less and less no matter what food I prepare or what we offer.

He enjoyed countless home cooked meals and always proud of teaching our youngest how to grill.