CSM Nursing Student Battles Cancer: Juan Orduna

This fundraiser was organized by the College San Mateo Nursing Program Class of 2022 to support our classmate Juan Orduna. Juan, a non-smoker, found out that he had stage 4 lung cancer, which had spread to his liver and bones during the final quarter of the Nursing Program. After finding out about his diagnosis, Juan continued on with the nursing program until he physically could no longer continue. Juan was given a prognosis of a year to live with chemotherapy treatment. The money donated will assist with the medical expenses and financial hardships he is experiencing during this difficult time.

Juan came to America from Mexico at the age of 15, leaving behind his mother, father, and siblings, searching for a better life. He initially wanted to become a doctor and searched for a higher level of education. His journey was long and rewarding. He obtained a Bachelor of Science in Genetics and had two beautiful children along the way, his son Lukas (12 years old) and his daughter Isabella (18 years old).

He provided service to his community as a substitute teacher (2008-2019) as he taught science (grades K-12) in the Redwood City School District, partly to be closer to his children who attended the school district, but mainly for his passion for helping his community.

His primary occupation was at the Stanford Research Institution, where he worked as a researcher for many years until he wanted to pivot back into the hands-on medical field, which he cherished immensely. So, he applied to the CSM Nursing Program and was accepted in the Spring of 2020.

This is where we met Juan. Juan is a charismatic individual known for his humor and class participation. In the clinical setting, Juan was just as popular with patients as he was in the classroom. His bedside manner was above and beyond expectations, making an incredible difference in the quality of patient care. Whether it was through humor, providing patients with a listening ear, or his thorough attention to detail, Juan embodied the true meaning of compassionate care. Juan would follow through with his patient's plan of care, checking in on patients he had prior weeks ago, providing support, and advocating for those during their more vulnerable times. Juan would consistently show up daily with a smile on his face. His dedication and passion for caring for the vulnerable population in his community was clearly evident and observed by each of us who worked with him.

The nursing world will miss out on a “True Caregiver.”