My motivation for joining the healthcare industry stems from my diagnosis of Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) when I was nine years old. It was a shock and a huge adjustment- I was on a cruise ship in Mexico with my entire family and as a result of the diagnosis, I spent three days in the hospital in Mexico. When we got home, life had changed forever. I recall, as a child and adolescent, going to my endocrinology appointments and on my care team were a few other fellow T1Ds (two MAs, an RN, and a doctor). I recall that when these individuals were present at my appointments that I was so much more receptive to what they had to say. I knew they truly understood and were not just repeating what they had read in a textbook or heard in a single lecture. I am truly and forever grateful to these individuals for all the care, empathy, and compassion they showed me and my family. These individuals showed me that my illness did not define my life, it did not control me. I always remembered their encouragement when I was struggling with my blood sugars and always pushed through. I used the struggle to my advantage and decided I wanted to make a difference in the lives of those struggling with illness as well, whether or not the same illness. My mission in becoming an RN (I am currently an LVN) is to provide empathetic and compassionate nursing care to any individual who comes through whatever department I end up in throughout my nursing career. I hope to be able to provide the best, most comprehensive, and kind care that every patient deserves. I hope to go beyond just my own abilities and make waves in the compassion and care that is given to the patients. I hope to be able to somehow remind my colleagues that our patients are people in vulnerable and likely scary times in their lives and that they deserve the most compassionate care we can provide. My mission in becoming an RN is to make a difference in the lives of my future patients. I hope I can be the healthcare professional to someone else that those individuals on my pediatric endocrinology team were to me. I hope to be able to give the best and most impactful care for any patient and their families, too. I thank you for your consideration and time.

When I was nine years old, I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes while on a cruise ship with my family. I was evacuated off the ship and spent three days in the hospital in Mexico. When we got back home, my life was completely changed, going to the doctor was a regular occurrence in my life now, as were shots, blood sugar checks, and carbohydrate counting. I recall going to these appointments and how much better they were when the nurse, physician, MA, or receptionist that day also had Type 1. Because of those experiences, with those care team members who knew exactly what I was going through, I decided I wanted to be a nurse, specifically a pediatric nurse, to be that person for other children who really knew what it was like to live life with a chronic illness. This is what drives me in my career now as a licensed vocational nurse (LVN) and what drives me to go further in my education (RN/BSN) and maybe even beyond that. When you are a child with a chronic illness, autoimmune or otherwise, it can be so very difficult to go to a medical appointment, whether it be with a nurse, or with the doctor, or any appointment, and just have that person “talk at” you about your illness, not really knowing what it is like to live, day in and day out, with something that can wreak havoc on your body with no warning signs or sensical pattern to why. When I was thinking about career paths and what I wanted out of my life, I remembered those times when I would go to my appointments and be met with those on my care team that really truly knew what my daily struggles were, my favorites were those that also had Type 1 Diabetes like me but there were some others that had other illnesses and they also made it so much easier to listen and take in what they had to say. They knew what managing a chronic illness was like. That is who I want to be for children I work with in my career as a nurse (first LVN and then RN, which is what I am going back to school for), the person who can help them see that their Type 1 Diabetes does not have to be a monster in the dark, daunting and scary, but can be something managed, that life can still be lived to the fullest. Even children with other chronic and/or autoimmune diseases can benefit from empathy from someone who truly understands, even if our illnesses do not exactly align, the empathy and true understanding can be so beneficial for these children and their families too, as those who cared for me and for my family were. I am excited to further my nursing career and even more so to be able to make a positive difference in someone’s life through their healthcare experience as others did for me and my life.