Hero caregiver vacationing home

Camille Jesalva, the Filipina caregiver hailed as a hero by Israelis for not leaving behind her 95-year-old patient during the brutal attack by Hamas on 7 October, will be coming home for Christmas to be with her son and family.     

In a press conference in Israel on Tuesday (Manila time), Jesalva said she would return to Israel after 45 days to fulfill her promise to her patient, Nitza, to return and continue to take care of her, whom she treats as her own mother.

"I don't want anything bad to happen to her. I will not let anyone take care of her because I think she will be unable to stand it if I would be gone from her side for a long time," she said.

Jesalva, 31, is now in Jerusalem. She said her employers had given her permission to see her family in the Philippines, as the situation has improved where Nitza is.

Jesalva is the Filipino caregiver who offered her personal savings to the Hamas terrorists she came face to face with in Kibbutz Nirim to save her patient.

She said the Philippine Embassy in Israel promised to include her on the list of repatriates — but with a round-trip ticket, as she does not really want to leave Nitza.

"I will not leave Nitza because I made a promise not to leave her until her last breath. My son already told me that if I die, he will die, too. But can I leave the person I promised to be there for until her last breath? I canceled my flight because of her, as I know she would die if other hands took care of her," Jesalva said.

Jesalva, who has been taking care of Nitza since 2019, said her patient had been having health troubles every time she vacationed in the Philippines.

After her terrifying ordeal, Jesalva became beloved by Israelis when her story made the rounds on social media and the Israeli media.

She was loved  even more by the Israelis when she urged fellow Filipino caregivers not to leave behind their wards "because they are humans, too."

She said Israelis were donating money to replace the savings she gave up to the terrorists and for her expenses in the Philippines.

"I told them I am not a hero, and they hug me a lot and make me feel okay. They offered me anything, but I said I didn't need them. But I really appreciate all the help," she said. "They told me that I was so strong and that they were so thankful. I told them I just did what I needed to do."

"They said they will never forget the people who helped them during the calamity. Someone even wrote to me saying, 'Thank you for being the right woman in the wrong place," Jesalva narrated.                  

with Jom Garner