Personal Narrative: A Career In Nursing

“As one person I cannot change the world, but I can change the world of one person.” I relate to this quote by Paul Shane Spear because it mirrors how I feel about pursuing a career in nursing. I want to be able to help others as much as I can. Arriving to this career choice was not a simple decision for me. What influenced me most in wanting to be a nurse was helping my grandfather during the past several years, and helping him through different illnesses and surgeries. My grandfather, who I call Papa, lives with me and my immediate family. I feel blessed to have the opportunity to help him because he and I are very close and he is my best friend. Through my involvement in helping him heal from his medical challenges, I was able to come

to the realization that a career in nursing would be the perfect fit for me.
My grandfather has been by my side since the day I was born. From the day I first came home as a newborn until I was five years old, I went to my grandparents house every day and ate dinner with them most nights. When my grandmother passed away in 2004, my parents were looking for a new home and then decided to move in with my Papa so he would not be alone. He would pick me up from school, and I would go with him to run errands and then we would go get a late afternoon snack. I relied on him for a lot as I was growing up, especially for rides to appointments and school, but most of all because he was always home with me and I never had to be alone when my parents worked. As much as he helps take care of me when I get sick, I help him too. Helping Papa is what most influenced me into choosing the career path I intend to take in college.
Everyday a person gets older, but I never imagined that my grandfather would.

He use to go golfing every day, from the time the course opened in the spring to the time it closed in the fall. I realized that my grandfather was aging when he had stopped golfing every day, then it was only twice a week, and now to just attend the golf league meetings but not be able to golf. Before my grandmother died, my grandfather had a heart attack. He was also diagnosed with diabetes. He always told me growing up that because of his weight loss after having open heart surgery, he had healed himself from having diabetes. Of course being young and gullible I believed him...until recently. He is now faced with new medical challenges. He has an abdominal aortic aneurysm and needs bypass surgery on his leg due to bad circulation which may also have been caused by his underlying diabetes. I have been by his side through it all. I clean and bandage the wounds on his prodigious foot that are not healing because there is not enough blood flowing through his leg. I regularly check on him and get him his medication when he needs it. I see how our roles have changed, and now he relies on me to be home after school to run errands and keep him company. This was when it became clear to me that I want to be a nurse. With all the care and love I provide for my Papa, I know I want to do the same for

others.
I was never sure what I wanted to do as a career when I got older, I just knew I wanted to do something that would help others. I have explored many different career paths, and attended camps, but nothing has compared to nursing. I explored nursing more after my grandfather started getting older and needed help. He was the one who has helped guide me to making the right decision in what I want my career goal to be. In hindsight, even when I was younger, I would always help my teammates with sport injuries that stemmed from simple bloody noses to broken bones, I was prepared, and happy, to do whatever I could to help. Helping Papa has definitely made me realize I can become a nurse, and be a strong help for others in need.
I do not know if my grandfather realizes the major impact he has had on my decisions now, and even as I was growing up, but I will always be grateful for what he has provided me. Although I wish Papa was not having any medical problems, I am fortunate to be able to help him and to gain life altering experiences from his situation. My efforts will be to continue supporting my grandfather throughout his medical challenges, and to pursue my career choice of becoming a nurse.