Moving to Perth from Cairo in 1999, Suzan didn’t speak a word of English and had no friends or family to turn to besides her husband at the time and her sister-in-law.
To make matters worse, Suzan was on the receiving end of the emotional, psychological and financial abuse at the hands of her then husband.
“Rather than supporting me, my husband made it more difficult,” she recalled.
“He put me down, he wouldn’t give me any money or let me drive. My self-esteem plummeted and I became so depressed.”
In the coming years, Suzan welcomed a son and a daughter and said that turning her focus to raise her two children “became my life.”
It wasn’t until 2004 when she joined a local playgroup run by MercyCare that Suzan began to build her own independence, make friends and learn new skills which made her feel like she belonged to a tightknit community.
It was at this point in her life that things began to change for the better.
“I felt I was able to breathe again — I felt I mattered at last,” she said.
Three years later, Suzan took on a volunteer role at MercyCare, which later led to a job offer as a loans officer for Mercy Lending Services, which she has done for the past 17 years.
“I didn’t think I was able to do it, but the team had confidence in me,” she said.
“That was the push that I needed to spread my wings.”
Despite gaining some financial independence, the rough times continued for several years before Suzan eventually summoned the strength to leave.
“I realised that I am not a bad person,” she said. “I’m strong. Strong women never give up.”
She recently found the courage to share her personal journey with more than 470 MercyCare colleagues at the recent Staff and Volunteer Day at Optus Stadium.
“I wanted to challenge myself, because I hadn’t been able to speak in public before,” she said.
To her surprise, opening up about her experience was empowering.
“Self-disclosure can be a remarkably complex communication process that has a powerful impact on people around you,” she said.
“But I felt like it is a way of showing appreciation to MercyCare and without MercyCare probably I would not have a story to share in the first place.”
Recently promoted to Senior Loan Officer for Mercy Lending Services, Suzan finds joy in helping others through her work, which sees her provide information and assistance with applications for the No Interest Loans Support (NILS) initiative.
Over the years, Suzan has worked alongside a diverse range of clients from all walks of life, from people living with a disability to refugees, domestic violence survivors, grandmothers and single parents who are struggling to make ends meet.
She says that the people that she meets in her work each day are more than just a client – they are people who want to better themselves and often their experiences remind her of what she had been through in her own personal journey.
“I love to help people, it is why I’m doing this job,” she says.
“I foster a relationship with my clients. I want to hear their stories and it brings me joy when I hear that we have helped them get back on their feet.”
Suzan added that being able to share her story reaffirmed her compassion for helping others and why she loves working at MercyCare.
“It’s a great reminder to myself and other to remember why I’m doing what I’m doing. And to motivate myself to keep up my good work,” she said.
“To be able to help others is such a rewarding job.”
To read more about MercyCare’s career opportunities, click here.
