Jona Jane Tajonera: Story of a survivor
Life, as we know it, is as short as it is unpredictable.
Time, happiness, and productivity are functions of choice, and perspective is not always dictated by extraneous circumstances.
These are lessons I’ve learned in hindsight, and when I look at the life of one of my dearest friends, Jona Jane Tajonera – the name I think of when I need a pep talk, or give a pep talk; the name I use as bragging rights of “winners I know.”
She strutted into Assumption College, San Lorenzo, like she was crossing the threshold into the hallowed walls of an Ivy League university. Proudly from a town called Mamburao in Occidental Mindoro, five feet tall with big ’80s hair and the confidence of a supermodel/ superhero/ super-everything, this little firecracker came into my life and we became fast friends.
We coasted through college, working hard when we had to, but mostly partying harder.
Her mobile care stations around New York City have caught the attention of The New York Times, which featured Jona for this act of public service and, yes, act of love.
We had different circles of friends that we hung out with separately on a daily basis, but we somehow had our own — our own independent friendship, our own moments, our own special something that has allowed us to build our own cornerstones that are the foundation of our now 30-plus-year friendship.
Right after college, Jona moved to New York. The Big Apple became her playground — the canvas that she has painted and repainted the story of her life on. And what a life it has been.
Jona, like most immigrants, started out as a hostess in a restaurant where she met the man that would be her life’s mentor. The doctor, a famed hematologist, was a regular customer at the bistro and saw something in Jona. He hired her as his personal assistant and office manager, and he could concentrate on his medicine because he had someone like Jona to handle the business aspect of his legendary practice.
It was during this time that she learned how she could help doctors with their private or joint practices, which later turned into business systems and solutions for clinics and hospitals. Soon, the doctor felt Jona was destined for greater things, and the rest is history.
While working, Jona pursued her Master’s degree in Public Health from Capella University. Then her Ph.D. in Public Health Administration. And then a program in Yale for Climate Change.
I mean, the woman read the whole Obama Care to see how her business could anticipate, grow and, yes, pivot, with this major overhaul in the US healthcare system. Because of her tenacity and drive, Jona has built her own businesses into global organizations. She has offices in the United States and the Philippines — Mindoro Healthcare Consulting, U.S. Medical Support, and U.S. Mobile Care Group.
She was chosen as one of the 10 Outstanding Filipino-Americans in New York, has worked alongside other Filipinos to produce musicals and fundraisers with all-Filipino casts, and has been a champion of supporting the cause of the Filipino employee, entrepreneur, and artist.
Big blow
Recently, Jona’s family suffered a horrible blow when her beloved sister was taken by the dreadful COVID virus. Like a thief in the night, the disease came and went quickly, leaving the Tajonera family in shock and despair.
Knowing all too well that many have suffered the same fate, Jona galvanized her team and set up free COVID testing stations around Manhattan. She and her staff test the homeless regularly, offering whatever comfort they have to give such as gloves, food, and anything that truly is compassion in action.
She describes her U.S. Mobile Care Group as “urgent mobile care at your doorstep.” These stations have caught the attention of The New York Times, which featured Jona for this act of public service and, yes, act of love.
Jona Tajonera lost her big sister to Covid in April 2020. By May, she had started a company that runs free mobile testing sites on the streets of New York. "The lines don't make me nervous anymore," she said. "Sometimes I even feel like a superstar." https://t.co/iflFfAGiK4
— The New York Times (@nytimes) January 9, 2022
I could go on and on, and I still would not be able to scratch the surface of this amazing human being.
Oh, and did I mention Jona is a single mom with two amazing sons, Joshua and Jason? And that Jona takes care of her mom, who is her rock? And that she achieved all this while battling her own health crises?
Jona struggles with a pituitary tumor in her head that causes her excruciating pain and runs to the emergency room. She has autoimmune illnesses, namely Cushing’s Disease and Addison’s Disease. She is a mother, daughter, sister, friend, doctor, lady boss, achiever, the Queen of Street Smarts, an amazing dancer with a wicked sense of humor, but most of all, she is a survivor. I aspire to have even just a smidgen of her in me.
With all the uncertainty and despair that surrounds us these days, we could all use a smidgen of Jona in us.
She is truly a supermodel/ superhero/ super-everything.
She is a superstar, a leader, a winner.
A woman of faith, a woman of action, with a heart of gold.
So, yes! Yes, I brag about Jona. I brag about her all the time. Why? Because hers is a story of triumph. If you were to look up the true meaning of the word “winner,” it would be a verb, and it would be Jona.
Walkin’ in rhythm, singing her song, and cheering everyone around her to do the same