Cancer affects every family in one way or another. For me, it was most directley experienced with my mom. Even as an adult my mom and I always lived close to each other and were very active in each others lives. It was June and my mom and my stepfather moved about 4 hrs away to retire, which was a big adjustment but exciting. In November, they showed up at my door unexpectedly, my stepdad took my young son to the park so my mom and I could talk. She told me she had been diagnosed with breast cancer. This was the begining of a very long and painful journey. As a single mother I was a little lost on how to navigate this, after making the trip back and fourth to her house every weekend I decided to just move me and my to where my mom was so I could be close enough to help her. Over the 10 year journey I helped care for my mom through 5 surgeries, chemo and shaved heads together, radiation, brief remission to arrive at a diagnosis of cancer metastasizing to all her bones head to toes. This new diagnosis came with no cure. Pain that was excrutiating, and decline that looked a little different each day. One morning I recieved a frantic call from my step dad that he couldn't wake my mom and she had lost all control of her facalties, he was calling an abulance but needed help changing her first, he felt she would be mortified to be picked up in the condition she was in. When I had left them that night before she was comfortable, coherent and resting, I didnt understand what had happened but headed there immediately to change and get her cleaned up right before the ambulance arrived. They would not let us ride with her so I immediately followed to the ER. After a few hours she was admitted to the hospital and diagnosed with c. diff. I stayed with my mom every night in the hospital to help her with everything she needed and my step dad would come stay for a portion of the daytime so she was never alone, this aldo allowed me to go home get cleaned uo and care for my family at home. During the 8 day stay she decided she was done fighting, done taking cancer meds, just done. This is when hospice came in and the journey changed again. When mom was released she had home health nurses and a hospice team around her for that final few months. Some days were better than others but we cherished each one. She had chosen death with dignity which I respected although still struggle a bit with religously. I respected that it was her choice, I couldn't feel everything she did nor could I make the decision or force her to keep fighting if she was done. When the day came I laid with her on the bed and watched her struggle longer than the doctor thought it would be. This heavy feeling like I couldn't breathe and that she needed me to leave came over me. I can't explain it, but the nurse and doctor explained as soon as I left the room she took her final breath and was gone. Somehow, our connection and me understanding her needs beyond explination, were present even in those painfully hard moments. I miss her every day but am grateful for every minute. Cancer is hard, but caring for others along their journey should not be.

People are often shocked when they meet me and find out I was an only child raised by a single mother. They say I don't exhibit the spoiled, angry mentalities that sometimes accompany a person in my position. I was fortunate to have a loving, supportive mother. She worked hard, long hours sometimes that left me home alone or in aftercare programs. We moved a lot, not for militiary(I always used to get asked that as a child) but for life situations. Sometimes we were moving due to a new love interest in mom's life, sometimes we were running from one, sometimes a new job opportunity, sometimes we simply couldn't afford where we were and had to do something different. I changed schools 6 times by the time I started high school and had moved around 20 times by that point and had gained and lost 2 stepdads. This taught me to learn to fit in anywhere with all people, tomorrow isnt promised so live each day to its best. People will come and go in life but the ones that matter will always make an effort to be presant. When I was in high school my mom decided to go back to college and finish her degree, we graduated the same summer. She showed me it was never too late, and hard work pays off. As an adult she became my best friend and encouraged me when I became a single mother. When my mom began her cancer journey so many things changed, I feel like I kind of became the mom taking care of her. We got to have some amazing moments together and some profoundly difficult ones. She never stopped encouraging me to persue my dream of becoming a nurse. Now that she is gone there are so many things I wish I had done differently as a child. I made things hard for her, not always but too often, I was angry sometimes and got even more so when she sent my to specialists because she didn't know what else to do. She never understood the long evenings alone I was frightened and trying my best to get school work done, clean the house, make food so she could rest when she got home. As an adult, I realize we both were doing our best we could with what we had. We both wanted and hoped for more for ourselves and for each other, but at the end of the day we loved each other, found blessings in the hardships and worked hard for where we are in life. My hope is to honor her by following my dream to be the best nurse (RN) I can be, to complete the program and to help people through their journey like I was able to do for her. Thank you for your time and consideration, Julie

First, I would like to say thank you for your time and this opportunity. When I was in high school my plan was to be a child psychologist and social worker. I went to college took many psych courses and loved them but realized I would never be able to forgive myself if I couldn’t reach a patient and save them. My life took many twists and turns after that but when my son was born premature and spent time in the NICU I found a new calling, being the best mother I could be but also being a nurse to give back the amazing care my son and I received. As a single mother I didn’t know how we were going to make it, his heath was frail, surgery at 7 months old, couldn’t go into day care but through the grace of God we made it. I began my journey to getting all my prerequisites again and then some behavioral and learning challenges came into play for my son so I paused my schooling to focus on getting my son through his schooling, learning tools and tricks to help him succeed. When things leveled out again I started looking for another nursing program, crunching numbers to see what I could make work. Life decided it still wasn’t the right time for that journey, my mom was diagnosed with cancer and we began a 10 year battle in which I became one of her primary care givers. Being part of her journey and working directory with her medical team further confirmed my calling to become a nurse. My son graduated last summer, my mom passed just over two years ago. My family now supports me in my journey to become a nurse. I am in my third term, having to start all over since all my prerequisites expired, but have received 7 As and 2 Bs while juggling a family of 5-7 depending on the week, working and school full time. I have a full life and am blessed in many ways. I am excited to give back to my community through caring, compassionate nursing that looks at the whole patient not just symptoms that bring them in. Life is big and the journey can be daunting but sometimes we just need someone to believe in us, to encourage us, to hear us and to provide a treatment plan that will work. I truly appreciate your time, Mr. Lund sounds like an amazing individual that many people looked up to.

Hello, my name is Julie. Thank you for taking the time to read and consider me for this scholarship. My "Pie in the Sky" dream began almost 19 years ago, yes I am 46, a mother, daughter, wife,friend and student again. My dream of becoming a nurse started during the time when my son was born 6 weeks premature and spent 15 days in the NICU. The care, support, and encouragement that began there and followed us through many years of our lives began my desire to give back to others. To be a pillar of strength when people are at their weakest, to be a warm smile or soft touch when they are lost, defeated, diacouraged and to give hope when they can't find it combined with medical care to help heal, treat, navigate health challenges life brings them. My son and I were blessed with amazing medical teams through surgeries and day to day care. Even though it was just the two of us we never felt alone, we were surrounded by caring individuals and medical teams all doing their best to help us. They fueled my desire to give back in the same ways. I went back to school 16 years ago completing all my prerequesites for the nursing program, juggeling 2 jobs, school full time and an unhealthy little boy who could only be in day care a few hours a couple days a week. An online job, online classes both while he slept and juggeled the rest as best I could. We continued to face challenges and I put my dream on hold to care for him and devote everything I had to getting him well. As years went by he grew stronger, heathier, better. I began to look back into nursing programs to get my dream going again. Then my mom was diagnosed with cancer and began a 10 year battle for which I was her primary caregiver. Again, my pie in the sky would have to wait. Today my son has graduated high school, stands taller than me and is healthy with no signs of struggles at all. My mother passed just over two years ago and is cheering me on from above. I have a full home now, a loving husband, my son and two bonus adult children as well as two grandchildren and two fur babbies. Everyone still lives at home but are finding their own paths now, as I am chasing my Pie in the Sky! Trying to juggle family, work to support our household, school and running a full house some days make my dream seem out of reach. I just spent two unexpected days in the hospital with my husband who now needs more help daily, again making that pie feel further and further away but I continue to put one foot in front of the other. I attend my classes, do the school work (often times while the reat of the family sleeps cozy in their beds), get the household lined out for the day, meals prepped and off to work. When I return hom it is medications, meals, cleanup and more school work. It's hard, I'm exhausted but I keep going because my desire to do more, to be more is stronger. I want to make a difference for people, I want them to feel cared for, heard, advocated for, to help them heal, recover, be well. I will reach my pie in the sky, someday, somehow, and I continue today to put one foot in front of the other to get there. Thank you!

My journey to starting a family began with a husband and stepdaughter and 2 miscarriages. I found out I was pregnant again and 2 weeks later found out my husband was having an affair. As a high risk pregnancy I did everything I could to save my unborn baby who arrived 6 weeks premature and spent 15 days in the NICU. As a single mother I grately appreciated the education and support from all the nurses while in the NICU. My son came home plagued with a number of health challenges including surgery at 7 months old. I came home with a dream of being a nurse and caring for people like we recieved during a very hard time in life and a drive to do all I could to give my son a healthy life. After a number of years my sons health balanced, then came behavioral challenges that carried a different type of medical support but again the team we had was amazing and helped us move mountains to a new normal. You would look at my son now, who stands taller than me, and never know the challenges he overcame. Family is more than just the people in my household. While my son and I were navigating the behavior pieces in life, my mom was diagnosed with cancer and began a 10 year battle. We relocated to be closer again, found new medical teams to support our journey as well as my moms medical team helping me to be her primary caregiver alongside my stepfather. We again found a new normal, cherishing the moments we got to make memories with my mom, crying with each setback and new diagnosis, but continuing to love one another and find grace in the hardships and joy in the positives. While on these journeys I met a kind and caring man with 2 older children. Overtime, we became a family growing from two to five and now 7. We have all lived under one roof for most of the years we have been together, one going off to college and coming back home, another getting married and having kids to navigating her own divorce and coming home with her babies. We have navigated success and failures together, mourned loved ones, welcomed new ones and stayed strong together. While juggeling being an only child with only a father and stepfather left, having lost my mom, stepmom and grandparents, I have a full home with a loving husband, three adult children and 2 grandchildren as well as two furry children (a husky and a pittie). They all stand behind me and support my dream to become a nurse. They have watched me care for, nurture, educate, and guide each of them with hope and compassion, often calling me the glue that holds everything together. They have seen my strength and even while falling apart myself, helping them heal and find comfort through hope and faith. My family understands the sacrifices I have made having put my dream on hold multiple times through the years and making them my priority when they needed me most. While each is finding their own paths forward right now, they are also finding strength to question their own wants and dreams as I have decided to follow mine. It is time for me to give back, to pay forward the lifechanging support we recieved from healthcare providers over the years. To be that warm smile and pillar of strength to others in their greatest time of need. I thank you for your time and consideration.

Hello and thank you for your time! I am a 46 year old mother, wife, daughter and friend. My nursing dream began almost 19 years ago when my son was born 6 weeks premature and spent 15 days in the NICU. A surgery at 7 months old and being plagued with a number of health challenges early in his life, we found ourselves surrounded by multiple medical teams and would not be here thriving today without them. From the education with machines blaring while in the NICU, to home health nurses helping monitor day to day growth and wellness, to behavioral health support later in life we not only managed we succeeded. Once his health normalized, my mom found herself in a 10 year battle with cancer for which I was her primary caregiver. Again, we were surround with wonderful medical teams teaching us, supporting us and providing neccesary care with compassion. My son has graduated and is thriving in life standing taller than me and showing no signs of earlier life struggles, my mom has passed and sends strength from above and my family of 7 now supports my journey to chase my dream of becoming a nurse. They see the love and support I pour into each of them and believe as I do that nursing is my next great adventure in life. I am learning to balance school, work, and a full home while teaching them it is never too late to chase your dreams and start over. I began this process 16 years ago but was a single mother at the time and my sons needs took priority, then my moms cancer journey took priority. I have always worked in jobs that allowed me to support my family and supportively and caringly serve others. I am ready to give back and pay forward all the support, and compassionate medical care we recieved over the years. I believe that being an educated and prepared nurse is imparative but I also believe my personal experiences as well as compassion, kindness, empathy and hope are important. I feel that while doing all I can medically for a patient I can also be a warm smile, a pillar of strength and a compassionate touch that will give hope and peace at some of the most challenging times for people in life. While starting over is hard; finding previous credits expired, learning and retaining information is different, college and life is expensive especially when providing for a full house, juggeling work and study and still making one on one time for family members as well as an aging father and stepfather, my life is full and I have much to be grateful for. I am determined to make this journey count, learn all I can to have the most positive impact I can on others. Life is short, life is hard sometimes, but being able to give hope, and kindness along the way, to make every action matter, to make a difference is what I strive for. Thank you again for your time and consideration for this scholarship. This award would be grately appreciative and helpful in more ways than words can explain. With much appreciation, Julie

I am choosing a career in nursing for many reasons; I would like to be a positive influence, a space for hope, a warm smile and a gentle touch when a person or child needs it most. After a high risk pregnancy and having two miscarriages, my son was born 6 weeks prematurely and spent 15 days in the NICU. The care we recieved, the education I was given during that time was life changing. To be holding my new born baby boy who was so tiny and have alarms going off and monitors blaring and not understand what was happening was terrifying but the nurses gently taught me what to do and explained what was happening while helping my son. We would not be here without the amazing care we were given. At 7 months old he had to have surgery and was in the hospital again for 7 days. On day 5 all his IV sites blew so at 2am a specialized nurse and myself went to what looked like a supply closet to try and get a new IV going, the only location she could try was his scalp for which I had to pin my 7 month old baby boy down to help make this happen. I thought self, if I could do this for my own child I feel that I can do this for any child in need in those situations. We had direct lines of communication and back door access to pediatritians and the nurses due to his high risk of complications with any exposures to common illnesses. I learned so much from our medical team during these years and want to be able to give back to others. I remember being scared, overwhelmed, sad, lost among many other things being a single mother to a child who was so fragile but the support, the knowledge shared, the care given to us was priceless. You would look at my son today, who stands taller than me and never know the journey he endured. I want to be that pillar of strength, knowledge, kindness, caring and empathetic face for other parents and children going through lifes uncertain journies. Life is hard, but loving others, providing hope is not. As my sons health improved over the years we then had to navigate behavioural challenges. This was a different learning journey but the tools we were given, the voice I found in being able to advocate for my sons needs moved mountains to help him live a normal life and find his own voice as he got older. This journey I believe helps me be better suited for working with children because I better understand different needs and how medical treatments can be scary but with patience, a calm sense of delivery and some tools in my toolbox I can ease discomforts, provide distractions and help achieve the medical need while caring for the psychological comfort to avoid trauma during needed care and treatment. While my road here has not been easy I had many blessings through skilled professionals, caring and supportive teams around us. My son at almost 19 is thriving and living a healthy, happy life. I want and aim to be able to give back so that other children and their families can reach their "normal", healthy and happy lives. I understand not all stories end like mine, but I know that the love, the gentleness and care they recieve along their journey matters and I want to be a hopeful and compassionate part of that. A little love goes a long way.