my aunt lil was asked to give an inspirational speech at her graduation from nursing school last week. this is what she wrote...
Inspiration – One day at a time
At five years of age I wanted to be a nurse; at seventy-five I am a nurse. I remember my dad taking me to the hospital when I was five. I was going to have my tonsils removed. I had badgered him to tell me all the gory details regarding a tonsillectomy. He asked, “Do you really want to know?” Well, of course I did. After the doctor examined me and said the operation was a go, I started screaming. I can still see the bewildered look in Dad’s eyes. Our saving grace, his and mine, came from this beautiful angel in white. She knelt down beside me and said, “You do not have to do this if you do not want to.” It was at that moment I knew I wanted to be as wonderful a nurse as my angel in white. We went home and I remained vocal. I knew when I grew up I was going to be a nurse. If the neighborhood kids got poison ivy, they called Lillian to apply the medicine. If a bird got hurt, Lillian was called to help it get better. If a baby was born, Lillian was there to help. Fifteen years and several strep throat infections later, the tonsillectomy operation was every bit as unpleasant as I thought it was going to be when I was five years old.
On my sixteenth birthday, I applied to nursing school. I had chosen to go to the college preparatory high school in my hometown rather than the high school that prepared students for the business world. There had never been a doubt in my mind of the direction I was going to take in life. Three weeks later my dad died. Now my goal, and my family’s wishes, was that I should be the first in my generation to finish high school and “We will talk about your going to nursing school later.”
Life got in the way. What I did do was graduate from high school. Then I married and moved from Connecticut to Michigan. I started a family. Family responsibilities filled my life. I fulfilled my desire of becoming a nurse by nursing my children through the measles, the chicken pox (all four children had them at the same time), and the usual runny noses. What I could not heal was a failing marriage and divorce followed. I went to school to learn shorthand in order to keep a roof over the heads of my children and myself, and put food on the table. I took a job as a secretary. This career lasted a short 48 years.
I enrolled at Wayne State University to further my business career. Thirty credits into the program my youngest son was diagnosed with osteogenic sarcoma. Here was another opportunity to further my love of nursing. I dropped out of school and home nursed him. I learned so much from my “professor”, things like patience, laughing, what Star Trek was and especially courage. After he died, life kept pulling and tugging at me.
One day a fellow came into my life. Before I knew it, I was married, working and going to college, Madonna University. My goal was to receive my business management degree. Why business management and not nursing? Because I felt I was too old to become a nurse.
Life was good. I graduated with my bachelor’s degree in business management. I decided a career in Hospice would be fulfilling. In 1990 I enrolled in the new hospice program Madonna University was offering. This was my opportunity at last to get into the medical field. Three weeks later my husband almost died. For the next ten years he almost died at least one time each year. Of course, I nursed him. Then he died. This bump in the road of my life created its own challenges.
Now I had the monumental task of trying to choose what to do with 86,400 seconds in a 24-hour day. My first year as a widow, I explored the world. I volunteered for my local hospice program and for the hospital auxiliary. But, I was not happy. I visited people who for so long had been my support system, who had brought the outside world to me at a time when there were not enough seconds in my day. Now they were happy that I had time to enjoy life, rest a little, and not overexert myself. I went against the advice of these same people who loved me. I started the groundwork for my second career. At 70 years old I was going to go to college to become a nurse by furthering my education at Madonna University.
I could have given up, but look at what I would have missed. I would never had known how difficult, how exciting, and how fulfilling working towards a nursing degree would be. I would not have met dedicated professors. I would not have had the opportunity to interface with the enthusiastic students I have studied with. Five years before my husband died, my daughter was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. How different my world would have been without the support of my peers and faculty when she passed away this past year. They gave me their wings to hold on to as I struggled to survive this new catastrophe in my life. I am eternally grateful for their compassion, and their encouragement. I am amazed at their optimism for what the future holds.
If ever there was a time I would have liked to drop out of school, I would have to say it was at exam time, any exam, every time. But, I had to hang in there. By now my friends and loved ones were bragging about me, telling me I was an example for them. They were proud of me. How could I possibly disappoint them? They thought I was something special; they almost killed me with their love.
Look at me now. At 5 years old I wanted to be a nurse and 70 years later I am one. What would have happened to me if I had given up my dream of being a nurse? If I had given up my dream I would not have known what came after, the knowledge that I now have both the opportunity and the ability to help others. What I have to offer gives me fulfillment and so every second of life is meaningful. My advice to anyone pursuing a dream is to never give up.
Hospice still feels like a good fit for me. I can’t wait to get started. I intend to incorporate all I have learned during both my life’s experiences and my nursing education to be the best nurse I can be. As I reflect on my life’s experience, my heart tells me I have compassion. By keeping focused on my patients’ needs, my knowledge and skills will benefit each patient I care for. If they will let me, I will be honored to walk beside them on their journey home. At 75 years of age, I have been through the hardest times imaginable. If I can achieve my dream anyone can. Thank you for listening.
thank you, aunt lil, for being an inspiration.
