Mum’s death drives siblings to success

By ZINA KOIM
FOR the Homiehombo sisters, who graduated with a bachelor’s degree in their respective fields at the University Papua New Guinea’s School of Medicine and Health Sciences, the death of their mother was their greatest motivation.
East Sepik sisters Brenda and Belinda Homiehombo graduated with Bachelor in Medicine and Surgery and Bachelor in Dental Surgery respectively.
The eldest of the six Homiehombo siblings, Benson Sange Homiehombo, will be graduating with a Masters in Public Policy on Friday at UPNG’s School of Business and Public Policy.
“The passing away of mum has been my greatest motivator, pushing me to keep on going despite problems and all the struggles that I went through,” Brenda said.
“If my mum was here, she would have been really proud, screaming from the side.
“The two of us today, and our elder brother will be graduating on Friday, we did this in honour of our mum.” Brenda first graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Medical and Lab Science in 2009 and had been working for 10 years with the East Sepik Health Authority (ESPHA)
She started as laboratory scientist and then made her way up to being the blood bank manager of ESPHA.
Brenda decided to leave work and further her studies so she could do more for the patients.
“I wanted to do more than what I was doing and to be able to touch patients and deal with patient directly,” she said.
She applied and was accepted and she left home for studies, her mother, who was suffering from diabetes, passed on the next day.
“Mum was really supportive and was going to take care of my kids while I got to further my studies,” she said.
“I went back and my told dad me, you are going to stay here for two weeks and go back to school because that’s what mum would want because mum emptied all the money from her account to top up for your school fees.” Brenda said being away from her fours kids, her husband, her family and losing her mum was really stressful.
“Then I thought, no, mum wanted me to be here so I have to be stronger,” she said.
She said her mum had been her biggest supporter.
“She was the one that has been pushing me earlier and after she passed on, with her memory and what we went through with her being a diabetic patient, constantly looking for medicine and all, really motivated me to do my medicine.
She said quitting job to pursue studies was one of her toughest journeys.
“I was at the manager level and getting paid and being a student surviving on a K50 or K100 on a weekly or two weeks was a struggle,” she said.
“It takes persistence and perseverance.”
The sisters are both attached to ESPHA, with Belinda doing her dental residency.