My trajectory changed course in the spring of 2023. I was a semester into the official nursing program and I didn’t feel the shifting winds at the time. My Washington America Pageant director called a small group of her former queens together to share with us that she had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and given 6 months to live… 6 months prior. She was asking for our help to insure that the pageant would continue as planned that year, and that her legacy would live on into the future. The next week we began our oncology section in my classes.
Fast forward a year and a half later. My Director passed away a short five weeks after she told us she was dying, and cancer also claimed the life of one of my aunts in Germany the following spring. There were others, too, who fought and survived - two of my pageant sisters, the little girl my in-laws adopted, and a beloved author I follow on social media. Cancer is the great equalizer. It doesn’t care who you are. Your age, race, sex, orientation and socioeconomic status will not protect you from it.
This past Thursday I finished my last shift as a student nurse at our local cancer center. It’s a clinic I would love to work at after graduation - for both the hours and the patients. There’s something different about cancer patients. Of course, you have the occasional one who is a little rough around the edges, but for the most part they are some of the kindest people I have ever met. I think it’s because they have a different perspective on life and its fleeting nature, than the rest of us do. My chances of getting on immediately after graduation are slim to none as they currently aren’t hiring, and they are one of the only shows in town when it comes to oncology. Still, this journey has opened my eyes to possibilities I never would’ve considered previously. It’s also made me realize that no matter what we plan, we're going to end up exactly where we're supposed to be…
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