Baby Jane Allas, the Filipino domestic worker who was fired in February after being diagnosed with stage-three cervical cancer , has now undergone surgery that may rid her of the disease. The 38-year-old single mother of five is currently recovering from the medical procedure in hospital. “I was told that it went really well and that we can expect her full recovery soon,” said Allas’ sister Mary Ann – who is also a domestic worker in Hong Kong – on Friday afternoon, just a few hours after the operation. Jessica Cutrera, a Hong Kong resident who employs Allas’ sister and is supporting the family, said surgery was required despite the tumour having shrunk significantly in recent months. “She finished chemo and radiation, and she had a pretty good reaction to those … But there was still residual cancer, so they decided to do a hysterectomy and take out the remaining cancer and the surrounding tissue,” Cutrera said. “The hope is that with that she will be cancer-free and have a low risk of recurrence.” Allas’ case was first r evealed by the South China Morning Post on March 3, less than two weeks after she was handed her dismissal letter. Her struggle highlighted the plight of many other foreign domestic workers in Hong Kong, who have been fired after being diagnosed with serious diseases and left with no access to the city’s public health care system. Many of the city’s domestic workers who are sacked after falling ill are forced to return to their home countries. But some are able to battle their cases with the support of charitable organisations, while navigating Hong Kong’s intricate legal and immigration systems. Legal hurdles in fight to ‘restore dignity’ of Filipino who died of cervical cancer Allas’ story sparked outrage, prompting hundreds of people to donate more than HK$920,000 (US$117,550) to her cause, mostly through an online fundraising campaign launched by Cutrera. “I can’t even say how grateful I am. So many people have donated without even knowing me,” Allas said. “My treatments were only possible because of them. I thank everyone wholeheartedly.” Cutrera also noted that the generosity of those who had heard Allas’ call for help made a difference. “The other piece that really made it possible was the fact that the [Hong Kong] Adventist Hospital Foundation donated her chemotherapy. That is one of the reasons why we have enough money for the surgery,” she said. Gleneagles Hong Kong Hospital, where Allas is currently recovering, also offered a reduced package for her stay, while her cervical gynaecologist had lowered his fees, Cutrera said. Allas, who finished nine weeks of chemotherapy and radiotherapy in early May, said her energy levels improved as the treatment progressed. She is now expected to stay in hospital for a total of four to five days to recover from the surgery. But while she is in better health, Allas’ battle for justice is still continuing. She won HK$30,000 in compensation from her employer – to cover items including medical fees, sickness leave and wages in lieu of notice – in a settlement reached at the Labour Tribunal in April. Hong Kong Labour Department hearing for Baby Jane called ‘unfair’, ‘problematic’ However, a decision has yet to be made on the claim she filed with the Equal Opportunities Commission, in which she argued that it is illegal to discriminate against someone who has a disability. “The fact pattern is quite clear … she was terminated for her diagnosis,” Cutrera said. “The challenge with the Equal Opportunities Commission is that they don’t have any enforcement powers … while we expect that [it] will decide in her favour, we will probably have to go to the District Court to enforce that, which is expensive and time consuming. But we are prepared to do that.” Baby Jane wins HK$30,000 in damages after being fired over cancer diagnosis Allas came to work in Hong Kong in 2017 and started noticing signs of her illness the following December. In January, she was told she had stage three cervical cancer – which kills more than 300,000 women worldwide every year – and put on sick leave. She said she left her employer’s residence on February 19, a couple of days after receiving a dismissal letter that clearly stated her cancer diagnosis was the reason she was getting fired. But even in the 15 months before that happened, Allas said her living and working conditions were far from ideal. She claimed she was often given stale leftovers, had to sleep in a store room under the stairs and wasn’t allowed to take the required 24-hour rest period each week. About 390,000 foreign domestic helpers – mostly from the Philippines and Indonesia – work in Hong Kong, contributing an estimated US$12.6 billion to the city’s economy last year . But studies have shown that many of them endure exploitation and poor living conditions . Human rights organisation Justice Centre Hong Kong estimates that one in six helpers work in conditions that constitute forced labour in a city that does not yet have any anti-human trafficking laws and where forced labour is technically not a crime. Domestic workers are the slaves of modern Asia. Is that ever going to change? But despite her negative experience, Allas – who has not been to her home country in over a year – said she plans to take another job in Hong Kong as soon as her health allows. “I need to recover and wait for the decision from the Equal Opportunities Commission,” she said. “Then, I am hoping to go to the Philippines for a bit and return to Hong Kong. I need to work because I have five children.” Allas said she was hopeful that she would be given better conditions in her next job. “I had a bad experience here with my former employer, but people also helped me a lot,” she said. “I met many kind-hearted people in Hong Kong.”