The ‘Dragon Fruit Lady’ from Ilocos Norte shares her inspiring
story. Find out how being a mother pushed her to emerge as the country’s
top exporter of dragon fruit.
She was the light and the glimmer of hope for her children and family.
Entrepreneur Edith Dacuycuy is more than a star in the local
agribusiness industry. She is a loving and caring mother who would find
ways to make her children live comfortably despite the odds.
She
was blessed with four children, a son and three daughters. Kate the
youngest, however, is not like her siblings. She’s somehow more special,
being diagnosed with a condition called cerebral palsy (congenital
disorder affecting movement, posture, and muscle tone). Edith admitted
that she has loved Kate even more because of this.
As a young
child, Kate seemed to be getting weaker and weaker. She had been
suffering from constant seizures and constipation. As her medicines
eventually failed to work, Edith knew she had to take a step forward and
find treatment on her own. A friend told her about the wonders of the
dragon fruit, which was then very rare in the Philippines.
Determined
to try dragon fruit therapy to treat Kate’s constant seizures and
constipation, Edith sent her second daughter to Thailand to learn how to
cultivate the fruit. She stayed home in Ilocos Norte to look after Kate
and started doing more research to discover the fruit’s many other
possible health benefits. She found out that the dragon fruit can
possibly help prevent cancer, high blood pressure, and constipation,
among others.
The fruit of new beginnings
A
few days after including dragon fruit in Kate’s daily diet, the family
found a pleasant surprise. Kate seemed to be more relaxed. Suddenly, the
seizures and constipations were not that frequent anymore. The fruit
worked! It proved to be very effective that Edith decided to grow more
of it in their backyard to ensure constant supply for Kate.
Before
she knew it, there was a large supply growing in her garden! People
around the neighborhood started noticing it, calling Edith the
community’s ‘Dragon Fruit Lady.’ Since then, she has lived up to that
moniker.
She also realized that being a mother of four wasn’t
enough of a work, so she decided to venture into the fruit industry.
Earning money has always been just her second priority as an
entrepreneur. “The dragon fruit worked like magic for my daughter. Why
not share the knowledge to other parents who need help, too?” said the
Dragon Fruit Lady.
Blessings have been pouring to her ever since.
Her son became a successful physical therapist; her daughter obtained a
mass communications degree, while the other became a pediatrician. Her
farm has become an agri-tourism spot in Ilocos Norte and her dragon
fruits skyrocketed in sales. She is now the leading dragon fruit
exporter in the country. Edith also founded the Association of Dragon
Fruit Growers.
No
less than President Benigno Aquino III recognized her effort for
cultivating high-value commercial crop in 2010. This year, she was named
as one of the Filipina Starpreneurs by Go Negosyo and the Philippine
Center for Entrepreneurship.
Despite all the blessings, the
Dragon Fruit Lady has remained down-to-earth, while still pushing her
advocacy to promote the dragon fruit in the fields of local business and
health. “Dragon fruits have a lot of health benefits. It contains a lot
of essential vitamins and minerals that are instrumental in curing
various kinds of sicknesses,” she said.
Despite each tiring day
of work in her blooming business, she remains hands-on on being a mother
to her four children, especially to Kate. “For those parents who have a
child with cerebral palsy, don’t be scared and run away. Think of it as
a blessing from God. Pray to him and ask him for help. He’s always
there to give us the determination to do everything for our children,
this goes especially for the mothers.”
She
always reminisces the day when she had asked for God’s guidance during
the lowest point of her life. “During those days, I know He never left
me. He never left my family. He helped my daughter to become better. He
helped my business to become this successful.”
As a mother, Edith
knew she has to embrace all the challenges and treat those like
blessings. She is confident that she will always win all the battles in
her life, especially as a mother and as an entrepreneur. This is the
story of the Dragon Fruit Lady---an outstanding mother and entrepreneur.
And this is no myth.
Credits to: Entrepreneur.com.ph
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