In the modern landscape of global migration, there is a recurring ghost: the “left-behind child.” Across the Philippines, millions of children grow up in homes where love is transmitted through wire transfers and grainy video calls. Lea Joy Friesen was one of those children. Today, she is a psychotherapist and PhD candidate, but her path to the ivory tower was paved with the grit of a domestic worker.
Her story is a masterclass in resilience—a journey from a room smaller than a closet to the boardrooms where international policy is shaped.
The Cost of a Future
Lea’s story of survival didn’t begin at an airport. It began in a small town in the Philippines, in a home defined by the silence of unspoken trauma. At 17, when society expected her life to end because of teen motherhood, Lea was already in the trenches.
To fund her education, she took every “invisible” job available: encoding, proofreading, and manual labor. She studied with a baby on her lap, a visceral image of the multi-tasking required of women in the Global South. Even after graduating Cum Laude and earning a Master’s in Education, the systemic reality of the Philippines economy hit a wall: a Master’s degree couldn’t buy dignity for her children.
“I faced a decision no mother should ever have to make,” Lea reflects. “To give my son and daughter a better life, I had to leave them behind.”
The Invisible Laborer
In Hong Kong, Lea became a domestic worker. It was a role that stripped her of her professional titles and, at times, her humanity. She describes a life of “survival mode”—sleeping in a space so narrow she had to enter sideways, and eating a single slice of bread while caring for children whose dog lived with more comfort than she did.
The global economy relies on this specific type of sacrifice. It is the labor that allows others to go to work while the migrant worker’s own family is left in a state of “fragmented belonging.”
“Pressure becomes purpose when the people you love depend on you,” Lea says. It is a quote that resonates with the 281 million international migrants worldwide who trade their presence for their family’s survival.
The Bridge to Rebirth
For Lea, nannying was never the destination; it was a “strategic bridge.” When she finally reached Canada and secured permanent residency, she didn’t just look for a job—she looked for a way to heal the very wounds migration had inflicted on her.
Entering a PhD program as a former caregiver is a feat of “migration narrative success.” She faced the “Imposter Syndrome” that haunts many immigrants—the feeling that their previous lives of labor disqualify them from intellectual spaces.
Instead, Lea turned her “wound into wisdom.” Her research interests focus on the attachment trauma of left-behind children.
She is exploring the experiences of herself, her mother, and the millions like them.
From Silence to Science: A New Definition of Success
Today, as a psychotherapist, Lea utilizes CBT, DBT, and EMDR to help others rise from their own ashes. Her perspective is unique because it isn’t just clinical; it’s lived. What does success look like through a global lens?
Healing over Titles: Reconciling with the trauma of a parent’s absence.
Agency over Victimhood: Moving from being a subject of migration policy to a Director influencing it.
Legacy over Remittance: Leaving behind more than just money, but a blueprint for “rising again.”
Final Reflection: A Message to the World
Lea’s journey reminds a global audience that the woman cleaning your floors or caring for your elderly parents may be a “Global Voice” in waiting.
“Your beginning does not predict your destination,” she asserts. Her story is a testament that while migration can break a heart, it can also forge a healer. Lea Joy Friesen didn’t just survive the system; she mastered it, proving that even from the smallest closet, one can see the entire world.
Call to Action: How You Can Join the Movement for Healing
Lea’s story is a testament to the human spirit, but it is also a reminder that the systems governing migration often ignore the mental health of those who power them. Here is how you can take action today:
1. Advocate for “Mental Health Without Borders”
Migrants often face legal and financial barriers to mental health care. You can make a difference by supporting policy reform and donating to community-based care organizations like Immigrants Rising or the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
2. Practice Active Allyship
If you work with, live near, or employ someone from the migrant community:
Check In: Ask more than “How is work?” Ask, “How are you thriving?”
Acknowledge the Sacrifice: Recognize the weight of the family they may be supporting thousands of miles away.
Foster Inclusion: Ensure your workplaces are inclusive of different language needs and cultural backgrounds.
3. Break the Silence
If you are an immigrant or a child of migrants, share your story. Like Lea, your vulnerability could be someone else’s hope.
Seek support when needed; there is no shame in finding a therapist who understands your unique cultural journey.
Written By: Antonio Ma-at
