A Calling of the Heart: Meet Aapa
When Aapa Kuita-Seiuli walks through the doors of Victorian Village each morning, she isn’t just arriving at work. She’s stepping into a place that has become a second home. Most people here know her as Anna, a steady and joyful presence in the halls, a woman whose compassion seems to brighten every hallway she walks through.
But the path that brought her to this community began with heartbreak.
Anna had been living and working in North Carolina, building a career in customer service and dispatch, before eventually discovering her gift for caregiving while supporting her father at the end of his life. But her move to Illinois happened under circumstances no family should ever have to face.
In July, her niece Nancy was tragically killed. Anna flew to Illinois for the funeral, expecting to return to her job shortly after.
“I told my boss I was coming right back,” she said. “I wasn’t planning to stay. But God had other plans.”
She remained in Lockport with her son while her family grieved.
While riding past Victorian Village one day, she said, “I told my son, ‘Pull over. I want to see what that place is.’”
He said, “Mama, you don’t need to work. Just rest.”
But I said no. I’m going.”
She walked inside, filled out an application, and stepped back out again without expecting much. Soon after, she received a call asking her to interview.
“I came in, and they hired me on the spot,” she said. “I jumped up and down.”
From the first days of training, she knew she had found where she belonged. “I’ve worked on every floor, but I chose Memory Care. It reminds me of caring for my father. This floor felt like home.”
For Anna, caregiving is less a profession and more an expression of her spirit. “My dad always told me, love others as you love yourself,” she said. “That stuck with me. When I look at the residents, I see my parents. I see my family.”
Her approach is simple: show up with love. Let compassion lead. “People talk about money,” she said. “But this job isn’t about money. It’s about your heart. When I go home, I feel good because I know I did something meaningful.”
She carries residents through their worries, their memories, and their quiet moments. She listens. She encourages. And she stays present even when the work is emotionally heavy.
“It hurts when we lose someone,” she said softly. “I go to their funerals. We go to honor them. They’re like family.”
Residents feel that devotion. They share their stories with her. They trust her.
“They’ll say, ‘Anna, we’re all going someday,’ and I say, ‘I know… but can’t you wait a little longer?’” Her laugh is gentle, but her affection is unmistakable.
Anna’s own family is large and close-knit. She and her husband have four children and eleven grandchildren. Her daughter is earning a master’s degree in psychology. Her sons work in fields ranging from railroads to Tesla. She lights up when she talks about them.
Her upbringing shaped her, too. Nine siblings. A father who worked hard in Hawaii before bringing the family to the mainland. A home where love and responsibility were taught by example.
Everything she learned then, she offers now to the residents she cares for.
While we remain deeply saddened by the loss that first brought Anna to Illinois, we are profoundly grateful that her steps eventually led her through our doors. Her warmth, her steady strength, and her genuine love for the residents have become part of the heart of Memory Care at Victorian Village.
Anna often says she feels blessed to work here. The truth is, the residents are blessed to have her.
