Honoring Magdalena Barias aka Tita Neneng

Magdalena “Neneng” Roxas Barias gave so much of her heart to her daughter Jodi, son Joseph Byron (J.B.), grandson Gabriel, extended family, and friends who knew her as our beloved Tita Neneng. Now, as her close friends, we are mobilizing to return Tita Neneng’s love, by sharing her story and asking for help to honor her legacy.

Arriving in NYC in the late 1960s, Tita Neneng (aka Dr. Barias) began her career in internal medicine at Beth Israel Hospital in Manhattan. Beloved by patients and colleagues, she provided care for four decades, before retiring in 2008. This January, she was admitted to Beth Israel for advanced dementia. In the early morning of May 17, 2023, Tita Neneng passed away, surrounded by her loved ones.

For more than thirty years, Tita Neneng was a second mom to many of us, offering counsel and countless comforting meals, making her home a sanctuary amid the chaos and noise of New York City. As a mother, she raised her daughter Jodi and her son JB with kindness, patience and strength. Tita Neneng focused on JB’s care and well-being as a high priority, especially relating to the emotional and physical needs of an autistic son. For Jodi, Mom was a great role model, inspiring Jodi to follow in the same direction with JB’s care, as his sister and now legal guardian.

Armed with the determination to surround Tita Neneng with love and comfort, as she struggled with dementia, Jodi and her friends devoted themselves to Tita Neneng’s care with dignity and respect. During this time, Tita Neneng’s medical bills mounted, and expenses exceeded her insurance coverage, despite careful planning. And in the midst of caring for her mother, Jodi was dealt a massive financial setback when she lost her job after her employer, the national weight loss management chain Jenny Craig, shut its doors.

In a more equitable society, crowdsourcing asks are the last thing that families of lifelong healers like Tita Neneng ought to be worrying about. But, as many of you might know firsthand, our social safety nets for the elderly are often fragile, fraying and unraveling in an instant after a series of misfortunes.

With the experience Jodi had in recent years of taking care of Mom’s medical needs and physical care at home, she wants to educate others about the importance of preparing spouses, sons and daughters to have access to resources that would allow them to provide the best care for their elderly parents/family member. In light of losing her job at Jenny Craig, Jodi has decided to make her next career move in the field for advocacy and support for elder care. As Jodi has stated, “One is never adequately prepared when their beloved parent is experiencing ALL stages of Alzheimer’s or Dementia.”

We are a community of Tita Neneng's and Jodi’s friends, coming together to support her as she deals with the grief of losing her mother, while figuring out how to pay outstanding medical care expenses that were not covered under insurance, in addition to memorial expenses. We would be grateful for any financial assistance you can offer. We will be providing updates in the weeks ahead. Please say a prayer for Tita Neneng. And take a moment to check in on the elders you love.