How daughter’s depression turned Geremy San Agustin’s life around

By Cristina DC Pastor

Emotionally bruised and broke in 2019, Edison, New Jersey family man Geremy San Agustin’s life was, let’s just say, in a slump.

He was working as a health care and insurance professional, had clients here and there, and a cushy life seemed beyond reach. He had $17 in his bank!

Jay, as he is known to family and friends, didn’t know it at the time but his daughter’s struggles with mental health would be his wake-up call. 

“She was about to go to Michigan for college,” he recalled that episode, smiling. “We couldn’t find her, she disappeared. Next thing there was an ambulance picking her up. She was gonna take her life.”

Ninamari did not go that far. Her parents pulled their bootstraps, learned all they could about “severe depression” and from there worked as a team to keep the family together.

“My financial situation cannot outweigh my personal situation,” said Jay, 53. “All I wanna do is for my daughter to be safe.”

It wasn’t exactly  a case of sink or swim because Jay comes from a middle class family, married into the kin that owned a beloved family restaurant in Colonia, New Jersey known for its Grilled Pompano and Braised Lengua. Most importantly, he has skills, speaks well, and has charisma. He knows his way around the Garden State, had clients he could count on, and was resourceful. To learn about mental health, he reached out to long-time clients.

“I began helping all these ladies in Residential Health Care Facilities. They’re all over NJ. All owned by Filipino owners. I  handle their insurance at the same time, they taught me. I’m learning about high functioning bipolar disease. They feed (people who are intellectually disabled),  give them medicine and clothing.  I slowly partnered with different organizations that handle these mental health services.”

“I attended focus groups on mental health.  Within three months  the pandemic came. I became more exposed to the disability, COVID and mental health.”

Jay’s immersion into mental health awareness  had introduced him to a new community that would need his services.

“I became a designated researcher,” he said. “I research suitable (insurance) plans with good benefits to our senior community also for those below 65 as well. Plans where they can save a lot of money for their health costs. 

He became a health care navigator for PACCAL (Pan American Concerned Citizens Action League, Inc.) where Filipino elders look to his wisdom to sort out Medicare and at times Medicaid and help them make wise health decisions and come up with a health plan that will cost the least.

Middle child

Jay came to the U.S. in 1984  with his mother and two sisters. He was 13 years old,  the middle child. His cancer-stricken mom recovered while in the U.S., and that led to his family becoming closer and stronger. His parents became devotees of the Our Lady of Manaog in New Jersey.

Jay turns to fishing, a calming and therapeutic hobby. He joins a small group of anglers where shop talk often turns to the best way to grill their catch. With wife of 28 years Faye, they created their own company called First Aide Insurance Services where he is CEO and she is Office Manager. They educate walk-ins and regular clients about the complexities of Medicare and sometimes Medicaid coverage and not make it sound confusing.

As for Ninamari? She is about to graduate from the University of Michigan this year, has her own apartment and runs her own Etsy business. She has grown as an artist, writer and all-around creative.

“Cliché to say I just left it all to God, which we kinda did,” was his moment of self-reflection.