I am Rosanna Lim, and I am #StrongerThanMyAdversity.
For those of you who know me personally, you probably already know my journey and all of the ordeals and struggles that I've had to overcome.
But for those who don't – in my life, there have been a lot of peaks and valleys, and it's been a giant roller coaster ride.
It all started for me at a very young age, when our family business at Limketkai Center closed down. It was then that I saw my parents struggle financially, emotionally, and psychologically, which eventually led to their separation.
For someone who grew up well-provided for – home, food, education, and all that, it was such a pivotal moment in my life. I had no idea what was going to happen next.
Our family didn’t have a fallback plan at the time. So I witnessed my parents do all that they can to provide for us. They tried to get back up by selling majority of what we had just to get by, but we continued to struggle.
At the time, I remember being told I might have to stop school because we couldn’t afford it anymore. I was about to graduate from college at that time.
It was the first time in my life that I had to beg our school to allow me to take my final exams, by promising to pay at the end of the year, to which thankfully they agreed. I remember the school manager said at that time that my promising skills would go to waste if she didn’t help.
I then found a part-time job as an encoder at Camp Evangelista, when they were migrating from paper to electronic records. I remember getting paid 1 peso per soldier file record encoded. I worked there after my classes were done and there were times when I ended up going home the following morning just to get my job done.
Along the way I also sold food packs, which my mom cooked, to banks and offices. To cut the long story short, I was able to pay my tuition and school fees and was able to graduate. Fortunately, the school I went to, hired me as a computer teacher even before I graduated. Because of that, I was also able to help my younger sister finish college too.
I remember, at that time, we experienced living for 5 years with no electricity. Not just that, we lived in a house knowing that the bank could take it any time. We struggled but we got through it day by day.
With all the heavy burden I was carrying, I started seeking for human connection and relationships, a partner who could be there for me. In my life, I've had a couple of failed relationships leading to further heartbreak and depression. I felt lost in life.
To top it all off, we got hit by natural calamity and survived 2 typhoons and floods and lost everything again.
I've experienced losing jobs, and being scammed financially by people we thought we trusted. There was a time when someone I knew was going to get us a house, but we got scammed by that too. Family and so-called friends judged my journey and that didn’t help at all.
I almost gave up on life. It felt like it was too much and I wondered if I was cursed or I was meant to be punished all the time.
But through all this, I found the gems in my life. When you hit rock bottom, there is no other way to go but up. Today, I’m a solo parent of my 2 amazing boys who I have been raising for 15 years on my own, and that I am proud of.
Things have been going smoothly over the last few years. I've been slowly paying off debt and now able to provide for my family.
Then the pandemic hit. I lost some of my jobs once more. But this time, I’m stronger and tougher than ever before. Everything I've gone through has been a learning experience and I have gained a different mindset. I have met new friends and strengthened old friendships. I received awesome support from wonderful past and present bosses who understood my journey. They gave me valuable life advice that was essential and uplifting, and most importantly they treated us as family.
This part of my life is where I’m able to #celebrateliving despite all that.
This campaign of FWD insurance made me realize that the experiences I went through taught me how to be kind to others, how to be patient and understanding of other people's pain, and how to make a positive impact as much as possible to everyone around me. Because the truth is, we don’t know what each one is going through.
Indeed, challenges in life are inevitable. I’ve been through a lot and I’m still here fighting and celebrating life. I have learned to be part of the solution, not the problem.
To everyone out there, post your #StrongerYou story on FB or IG!
Share. Tag 5 of your friends.
Change Lives!
You can post a photo or video and share it on FB or IG and win exciting prizes when FWD Insurance features your post. The 10 most inspiring stories will each win P10,000. Don't forget to include the statement: I am (your name) and I am #strongerthan__(difficulty you overcame)__. Ex. I am Juan Dela Cruz and I am #strongerthanmyillness.
Make sure to use #StrongerYouWithFWD #FWDPH and to tag @fwdlife_ph for IG or FWD Life Philippines for FB
Post now and join the movement!
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