KAREN: Okay. I was just wondering about the family and being a health aide and the effects on family or how important your family is to helping with the job.

STELLA: It's very important that your family is behind you because if not, then you won't be able to do your job the way you're supposed to.

Because I, for an -- I have -- my experience was, you know, my -- when I first became a health aide, I -- I was married. Then I -- after being a health aide for probably seven years into my health aide job, I got a divorce because my former husband was not very supportive.

And I had four young kids that I was -- that we were raising, so it was hard when I went to my trainings, that was the most -- the hardest because I had to leave them for a month at a time.

KAREN: Uh-hum.

STELLA: So I was fortunate, though, that my mom, you know, would take care of them. But a couple -- I think the last -- I had to take them with me when I went to my training. It was during the summer, so I took them with me. But those are the ones that are, you know, hard on -- hard on whoever's training is if you have a family.

KAREN: Uh-hum. So you took them with you to Anchorage?

STELLA: Uh-hum.

KAREN: So what did you do with them?

STELLA: My -- my -- I have family up there, so they helped me. They took care of the two boys --

KAREN: Uh-hum.

STELLA: -- during the time I was training.

KAREN: Uh-hum.

STELLA: And --

KAREN: And your husband now?

STELLA: And my husband now, he's very supportive. I mean, he, you know, supports me 100 percent because he always wants me to get an education.

And I have a young 14-year-old daughter, and she is happy with her dad when I'm gone, so -- so I don't have any problem now.

It's just in -- you need to have a good, stable family, I think, to be able to be able -- to be a health aide and take care of other people.

KAREN: Uh-hum.

STELLA: Because I couldn't do -- you know, when -- when I first started, it was very hard. It was -- for me. Because it was not fun to go to work and come home and...

KAREN: Uh-hum. Yeah. So what kept you doing the job? I think --

STELLA: Because I loved it and I was -- and I learned more about myself, that I can do something, you know, I can take care of myself.

KAREN: Uh-hum.

STELLA: And that's what I did. I took care of myself. And knowing that I have to take care of myself first before I can take care of anybody else --

KAREN: Uh-hum.

STELLA: -- is what it was.

KAREN: That seems like good advice for the next generation of health aides.

STELLA: Yeah.

KAREN: That you have to be strong in yourself.

STELLA: Yeah. And I try to -- you know, I -- I try to do what I teach. I don't know how you say that. You know. As a health aide, you're -- you're a role model.

KAREN: Uh-hum.

STELLA: So you should be a role model by not smoking, drinking, or, you know, drugging.

KAREN: Uh-hum.

STELLA: That's very important. And that's how you gain the respect from people.

KAREN: Uh-hum. And I'm sure there are lots of pressures the other way.

STELLA: Oh, yeah. But I'm -- you know, I am one of the fortunate ones that don't, you know, want to do those things.

KAREN: Right.