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Mother, daughter duo become nursing aides to help nursing homes during pandemic

Posted at 10:10 PM, Apr 14, 2020
and last updated 2020-04-14 22:29:43-04

(WXYZ) — A mother and daughter are joining the fight to help the most vulnerable during this pandemic. The duo recently received their temporary nursing aide certifications and say it’s a great way to help local nursing centers.

The Ubaydi family is all about helping and caring for others. So when an opportunity came up to get into the health care industry and help people who need it the most, it was a no-brainer.

"Let’s not focus on what is lost, let’s focus on making history right now, rewriting history," said Stephanie Ubaydi.

Stephanie and her daughter Sophia are as close as any mother and daughter can be.

"This is something that she can do to change the focus and also something that we can do together," Stephanie said.

Stephanie’s husband Rami, who also works in skilled nursing care with the Heartland Healthcare Center, suggested the two take a class online to get a temporary nursing certificate.

"Sophia said that she would love to do that and I said, 'well, hey – I’ll do it with you since we are both sitting here in quarantine,'" Stephanie said. "I guess we motivated each other."

Stephanie and Sophia passed their exams and are now able to help. They wanted to do what they can in this time of crisis to help out and help families separated by COVID-19, especially family members in nursing homes.

"We know that they’re a high risk group and they need our help," Sophia said.

Rami says he couldn’t be prouder if his wife and daughter.

"They know they can make an impact," he said. "I may have nudged them a little bit and they did it. But again this is one small step for them to give back and it makes me extremely proud to know they’re making an impact in this World."

The Ubaydi family is just doing their part together to help others and caring for one another, when we all need it the most.

"It’s really just about how people can change their attitude from one of fear to one of helping, and we were looking for something like that to do," Stephanie said.

Sophia is planning on attending Detroit Mercy in the fall and will be in the nursing program.

The family says they know things are tough but say they just want to do their part and help out.

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