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A 59-year-old Filipina housekeeper dying of breast cancer got her final wish
— sort of — of becoming an American citizen
after a New York congressman presented her this week an
honorary naturalization certificate.
Gloria Canonizado, her eyes glowing, was too weak to
speak, but wrote: “I’d like to thank you all
a million times. Thank you all,” after Rep. Charles
Rangel (D-Manhattan) handed her the congressional certificate
at her bedside at Calvary Hospital in the Bronx. “I
am so very grateful.”
“We told her, ‘Don’t leave us. We’re
going to get you your citizenship today,’”
said Dr. Michael Brescia, executive medical director of
Calvary Hospital in the Bronx.
Canonizado is single and has four sisters in the Philippines,
whom she supports from her job as a nanny and housekeeper.
Her only family in New York is her sister, Remedios, who
lives in Jamaica, Queens, and has provided her sister
with constant care.
Canonizado’s lifelong dream is to become a U.S.
citizen. Her plans, however, hit a snag four weeks ago,
when Homeland Security officials notified her that her
fingerprints had been rejected.
Anne Curtin, Canonizado’s former employer who
petitioned her, said the letter did not explain the reason
behind the rejection. Curtin is now working with Calvary
doctors to lobby officials to speed up the approval process.
Chris Bentley, a spokesman for the U.S. Citizenship
and Immigration Services, said fingerprinting problems
are not uncommon for domestic workers, who use abrasive
cleaners “that can literally wear the fingerprints
right off your fingers.”
When she learned last month her fingerprints had been
rejected by the Department of Homeland Security, apparently
because of bad quality, Canonizado refused to give up.
The hospital agreed to her pleas to be taken by ambulance
to Lower Manhattan to be fingerprinted again about two
weeks ago.
Social worker Laurel Kinney accompanied her to the immigration
office and made sure Canonizado was treated with respect
and that necessary care was taken for her condition.
An immigrant from Manila, Canonizado was diagnosed with
breast cancer in 1996. She was transferred to Calvary
Hospital from an acute care facility where she was treated
for severe shortness of breath.
The cancer has spread to her lungs, making 24-hour oxygen
a necessity. At Calvary, she’s getting the highest
level of palliative care available in the United States
for terminal cancer patients, according to hospital spokesperson
Jenifer Vogt.
NBC’s veteran newsman Gabe Pressman learned about
Canonizado’s plight and visited Calvary Hospital
to feature her story. Vogt said Pressman was so touched
by the Filipina’s story that he personally contacted
the Department of Homeland Security to see if they could
expedite her citizenship, but was told that the process
could take up to five years.
Pressman then contacted Rangel to see if he could help
expedite Canonizado’s citizenship.
Vogt said Rangel was likewise touched by Canonizado’s
story that he visited her at Calvary last July 25 and
presented her with a special congressional certificate
that bestowed her honorary citizenship status.
“It’s a reminder of how we all take our citizenship
for granted, how some people have to fight for it and
how emotional it is,” Rangel, who said he will now
seek a more official citizenship status for Canonizado,
told the Daily News.
Asked by the Daily News what America means to
her, Canonizado paused.
“Opportunity,” she said. “A life of
opportunity. It means a lot.”
“When my approval comes through, oh my God, I’m
gonna jump, jump, jump for joy,” she said, while
her weak hand waved a small U.S. flag. “I love America.”
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