Complied By Scrubadoo’s Jen Hankin
This month’s Your Stories features Kate, a young nursing student at UNC. She lost her father a few years ago to cancer and what would normally break someone’s drive only drove her further towards the cause! Due to her family’s battle and strength she has invested her life to scrubs and saving others.
Story by Kate Treacy, Nursing Student at University of North Carolina- Chapel Hill
When I was younger, my family was hit with a huge catastrophe. I lost my father after a brief but difficult fight with colon cancer. I have learned first-hand how important it is to have a strong support network during an illness and how that can impact the patient as well as their family members. My family was able to survive our crisis by relying on each other and those who helped out in the little ways they could. In my father’s case, he battled cancer much longer than his doctors expected. I believe it was due to the family and friends he had by his side reminding him every day why he should never give up. He taught me by example to never lose hope and always fight whether you think you have a chance or not.
Kate and her Dad
In my future, I would like to help others who are experiencing illness, to be their caregiver and support system, and to remind them that they should never give up.
A nurse not only gives care to those who are sick but they spend more time with the patient then the physicians. They are the eyes and ears for the physicians. Nurses get to know the patient, as well as their families, and become their support system when they are at their most vulnerable. I feel that my place in the medical field is in a more hands on position where I would be able to make an impact on patients and families every day, just as my Dad’s nurses did for me!
