Submitted 2023-06-25
Receiving the award would mean the world to me. I’ve wanted to be a nurse for a number of years now. Growing up, my parents fostered kids, so naturally I wanted to become a social worker. Almost 9 years ago now, we got a new placement. At first, all we knew was a baby girl in the hospital who needed someone to be with her. She was born 4 weeks early, with 4 holes in her heart. She had her first open-heart surgery at 2 weeks old and another at 5 months. She had an NG (nasogastric tube) and later got a G tube (Gastrostomy tube). I’ve been helping care for her since I was 11. Since then, we have adopted this little girl, and I found my passion in the medical field (social work will have to wait). Two years later we got a little boy, he was also a medical baby. One time when he was admitted, he was not sick enough to get sent to Edmonton, but there weren’t enough nurses to keep him safe and in Yellowknife. As the medical team was rolling him away, I cried and decided I wanted to be a nurse. Getting this award would help me get my nursing degree, make my passion become my reality, and help to serve the people of the north. I know just how important being close to family is when people are not well. Though I am only one person, I believe I can make a difference. This past year, I completed my first year of nursing school, it was harder than I could have imagined, but I now know that nursing is what I want to do for the rest of my life. Receiving this money will no doubt help me further my education with less financial stress.