Nursing School Student

My name is Kayla Cueva. I will be beginning the Nursing Program at Texas A&M University Corpus Christi in the fall 2012 (August). I am very blessed for the family and support that I have, but as we all know college brings on a lot of financial weight. My mother was diagnosed with a rare life threatening disease by the name of Pulmonary Hypertension. She is now on disability, this has put a lot of stress on her since she cannot give me the amount of help that she would like financially through college, but she has given me the inspiration, motivation and determination to never give up and get where I want to be.

Here is my mother's story as well as my own.

My mother was a Hospice Care Nurse; she is the most caring individual I have ever known. She always cared more about her patient than she ever would to care for herself, I recall when she first got sick and in the hospital she wasn't worried what was happening to her but what her patients would do without her. She began getting out of breath, simply going up the stairs, and that became crawling up the stairs. She wouldn't be able to walk from the parking lot to the store without losing her breath. It worsened until she finally went to look for help and an explanation of why this was occurring. It took around a year and a half to find a doctor that would care for her, with good bed side manners, and the right determination. Through this journey, I realized that some doctors and nurses lack what is most important in the medical field, actually caring for the patient and involving the family. I recall doctors and nurses telling my mother to walk around downtown until she passes out, that she was overweight, or that "it was in her head". Patients and family should never be told these kind of things, when they already feel helpless. I want to give patients hope, and let them know that we are all in this together, that there not alone, and they will never be. Families should never feel like there is no hope or possibility that everything is going to be okay, and at points in my mother's search for the right doctor we came a crossed this. This is when I decided that nursing was my calling. I have dreams of becoming a Nurse Practitioner someday and specializing in Cardiology or Pulmonology. Friends say that nursing school will consume my life for the next 2 years. In my eyes, I am willing to give up 2 years of my life in order to save many others. I would be beyond blessed if you donated anything to my college education. Thank you for taking the time to read this. Have a good & blessed day!