Personal Narrative: The Nurse Who Changed My Life

Each year, I stand in the early summer heat with absolute admiration as I watch my mom walk across the stage. Like thousands of others across the United States, I wait with the hundreds of other family members waiting to honor their survivors at Relay for Life as they make their way to the microphone to proudly state their names. When I was just a month old, my mother became very ill. After days of being sick, she was finally rushed to the emergency room in my small town and from there she was sent to the Medical Center in Macon, Georgia. Following what seemed like millions of visits, tests, and big words being spilled into her mind, she was diagnosed with Acute myeloid leukemia. Although I do not remember it, I have heard the stories of dark times and heartache it caused my family. She went through numerous rounds of chemotherapy, endless medications, an attempted bone marrow transplant, and an eleven month stay in the hospital without her newborn baby. At long last, my mom was pronounced cancer free.
On the days when she felt like surrendering or throwing in the towel, this nurse was the one who picked her up and provided perseverance. Nineteen years later as I contemplate the type of person and career I want to be and pursue, I can’t help but think of this woman with preeminent courage, immense compassion, and an unwavering love for her profession day in and day out. And when deciding what I want to do for the rest of my life, my choice is simple. I want to impact someone’s life the way this woman impacted my