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Hey guys. 
And welcome to another episode 

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of the doctor nurse podcast. 
This week we hear from Andrea 

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does l. 
She is a registered nurse a 

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Healthcare Advocate in a 
disability rights influencer, as

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well as a speaker. 
And most importantly, a Survivor

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at the age of five andreea was 
diagnosed with transverse 

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myelitis, which is an 
inflammation of the spinal cord 

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that causes pain muscle, 
weakness, and paralysis that 

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ended up causing her to need a 
wheelchair full-time. 

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By the age of Years old. 
She received her Nursing degree 

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from the city University of New 
York, College of Staten Island. 

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And she became the first 
registered nurse in a wheelchair

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in the state of New York. 
She has devoted her career to 

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helping others with disabilities
live, healthier lives whether 

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seated or abled bodied. 
She was actually crowned Miss 

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wheelchair, New York in 2015 and
utilized her title and platform,

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life, liberty, and the pursuit 
of access to promote her 

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message. 
Age and belief that people with 

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disabilities can live a 
fulfilling life. 

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She's an advocate and activist 
who was Juan recognition over 

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the years, including being named
new, Mobility, persons of the 

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year in 2021 and the inaugural 
Craig H Nelson Visionary, Prize 

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winner and 2020. 
She's been featured in unite. 

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Spinal Homecare magazine. 
She's been an Apple iWatch 

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campaign, Yahoo and Forbes. 
You're going to really enjoy 

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this episode. 
Thanks for tuning in to the 

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doctor nurse podcast. 
And as always, don't forget to 

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enjoy the journey of your career
and let's hear from one of my 

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sponsors. 
Before we dive into the podcast 

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episode, I have to tell you 
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Russian guys, thank you so much 

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for listening to the podcast. 
And let's dive into today's 

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episode. 
Doctor nurse podcast, guys. 

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I'm so excited about today's 
episode. 

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I have Andrea does l. 
She is a registered nurse 

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Healthcare Advocate, 
disabilities rights influencer 

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speaker, and most importantly a 
Survivor. 

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Guys. 
I I just I am so pumped for you 

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guys to hear her journey. 
How she is doing what she's 

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doing today, guys? 
She's an inspiration to us all. 

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And yeah, Andre welcome. 
That is why One of the best 

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welcomes ever. 
So, thank you. 

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I am excited to be here. 
Hello, all of the listeners. 

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Well, I am just so excited to 
just share, what you've gone 

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through, where you've been and 
more importantly, where you're 

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going because you just got such 
an incredible trajectory on your

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life. 
It's just inspiring. 

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So explain to my listeners for 
those again, you guys listening 

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to my introduction on her, you 
kind of know where she's coming 

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from but where, how do you see 
Yourself, what are kind of your 

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hats that you're wearing and 
your current, you know, 

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occupational job status. 
So the amount of hats that I'm 

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wearing is absolutely 
unbelievable at this point in 

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time. 
Well, let's start at the top, so

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main bread and butter is I am 
assistant nurse manager at a 

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family care practice in the 
Bronx. 

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New York I worked on Monday 
through Friday, long hours. 

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Yes. 
If you follow me on Instagram, 

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Shameless, plug the seated 
nurse. 

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You will know that I am 
constantly complaining about 

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these. 
So, that's number one. 

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The second hat is I am a school 
nurse consultant for a private 

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school for neurodivergent 
students, who attend a different

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setting for school for school 
reasons. 90% of their kids, take

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about medications throughout the
day and they have different 

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levels of abilities. 
So therefore we have full 

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nursing staff available to them 
all day long and I consult with 

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the LPNs just in case they are 
unsure and they can't do 

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assessment. 
So I'm there back up. 

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Up. 
Or I'll go into the school and 

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do IEP meetings and so on and so
forth. 

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The other hat is I am the CEO of
my nonprofit, the seated 

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position I am the founder of the
CEO and we are a non-profit 

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based out of New York and we 
coincide with another nonprofit 

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called the Access Project. 
We are, we hope will people with

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disabilities. 
I get active and physical in 

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space and the seated position 
helps them to bridge, their 

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educational gaps. 
Whether that's from high school 

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to College, college to the 
workforce, Sleepy the workforce 

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into another type of we help do 
all of their educational 

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settings accommodations and 
making sure that they have 

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advocacy on their side. 
Wow, I don't even know how you 

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have time for that and to sleep 
and to someone have a social 

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life and family and everything 
else. 

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One of the things here at the 
doctor nurse podcast, we like to

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talk about the journey, right? 
We like to talk about how 

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nurses, get to where they are. 
I know that the journey for 

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everyone is different and 
success is that the straight 

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line. 
It's this curvy line of ups and 

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downs. 
And then you finally get to the 

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spot where you're like, Hey, 
listen look what I was able to 

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do with my career and this is 
the journey and the trials to 

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that spot. 
So I would really like to kind 

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of hear taking us back to what 
originally put you in the 

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wheelchair as a little girl and 
then take us to how you ended up

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working as a nurse and starting 
to see, you know, the seated 

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position nonprofit and all the 
things that you're involved in. 

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I really want to hear about like
kind of that Journey. 

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Yeah, take me there, take take 
me with you. 

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Yeah, so for everyone, I never 
wanted to be a nurse that was 

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not my intention. 
My intention was to become a 

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lawyer, so I can sue my doctors 
for all the pain that they put 

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me through. 
While I was a kid. 

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You guys heard? 
I have transverse myelitis. 

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It is a neurological issue that 
happens because of a virus. 

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I got a virus, it left me with 
inflammation of the spinal cord 

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and then I ended up having 
paralysis in complete paralysis 

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from the waist down. 
So I use a wheelchair to get 

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around. 
I've been using a wheelchair 

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since I was 12 years old, and 
I've had 33 surgeries, it's 

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actually 37, but my number in 
the head is always 33. 

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So, I've had thirty seven 
surgeries, and during the first 

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set of surgeries, my doctor had 
to like, write me out of the ICU

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to go to my graduation, and he 
came with his and pee from high 

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school. 
He came with me, with his NP to 

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my graduation and in my memory 
book, they both wrote please. 

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Anything. 
But a lawyer. 

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Well, if you can't beat them, 
you join them. 

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And I was like, I am going to 
find the cure for pain because 

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of all this pain nonsense. 
Like I'm I don't like opioids. 

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I don't like the way they made 
me feel. 

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I was constantly prescribed that
because I have chronic pain. 

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So I had to figure out how to 
navigate my world without pain 

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pills because if not, I'm just 
in bed all day, but then if I 

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don't have them, I can't 
function. 

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So I was like, I need to be a 
doctor so I can figure out all 

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of the pain receptors like and 
understand it, right? 

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So I audited Medical School 
classes, in my final year of my 

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biology and Neuroscience degree 
in college. 

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And in that class I realized 
doctors particularly medical 

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track, not nursing track, 
medical track, particularly 

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everything is the disease 
process. 

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So whether you come in as a 
patient, doesn't matter, you are

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patient a but your diagnosis is 
be you're always going to be 

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seen as be and how be is 
reacting to your body? 

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no longer a so, Having all of 
this previous knowledge of being

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a patient. 
There was no way I was ever 

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going to roll into a room and 
say to someone you will never be

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able to do this again. 
Because I already know that me 

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putting that pretense onto. 
Someone means that they already 

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know that, they can't do it and 
especially coming from a medical

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professional. 
Where this is like healthcare is

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trusted. 
No way. 

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I'm going to tell someone that 
they can't do something. 

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No, there's just no way. 
So trying to figure out nursing 

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school actually didn't happen 
until someone said, well, why 

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not be a nurse like you'll be 
able to be the holistic side of 

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medicine that you want? 
Where you're more integrated? 

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And I've never saw someone any 
of my nurses. 

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Have a disability, not one. 
So I think subconsciously, I 

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never thought that I could be a 
nurse. 

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I did my pre entrance exam. 
I scored extremely high, 

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extremely competitive for my 
school and it took me a year to 

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actually apply to the program. 
Why? 

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I think again, subconsciously I 
think I've never seen a nurse 

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with a disability let alone in a
wheelchair. 

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It's not something that I 
Watched on TV. 

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It's not. 
So I might my favorite shows 

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were like house Grey's Anatomy, 
you know, like er like I grew up

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on these shows so I'm like I've 
never seen a nurse with any type

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of disability. 
Hello Shonda Rhimes if you're 

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listening changed it. 
But think about that, right? 

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If you never see something, how 
do you see yourself in that 

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position? 
So, you know, I applied, I got 

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in based on my grades 
merit-based nursing, programs 

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are the best and I got into the 
program and then The first day 

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of orientation, the professors 
are like we don't think you 

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could be a nurse. 
We don't think you can, our 

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Hospital Affiliates will allow 
you to be there and this is 

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everyday thinking, so don't 
don't even like, this is not 

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like something shocking. 
Anyone listening like, what do 

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you mean? 
They, they don't think you could

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be a nurse will, again 
representation matters. 

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So, if you're only used to 
someone standing up and now 

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someone's rolling into the room 
to get this Nursing education, 

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you're thinking, how could they 
be a nurse? 

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This is not, you know, it's not 
Abstract thinking we're so used 

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to seeing people who are just 
standing up who dealing with 

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very obsolete illnesses in the 
healthcare field as if health 

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care workers, can never get 
sick. 

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So well, well said, yeah, now 
let's fast forward a little bit.

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I finish school graduate. 
I get I passed and collects in 

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the 75 for all of those that 
want to know that number. 

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Yes, doesn't matter. 
Okay. 

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But I did it in that 75 because 
I had something to prove Just 

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give me the chance, right? 
So yeah, you go. 

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I fast forward now and I'm 
asking them. 

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I'm having so much trouble to 
find a job, 76 interviews, to 

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find a clinical position in 
nursing know, I was thinking, 

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that's what I've heard your 
story before. 

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I wanted to know how those 
interviews went, like, I had 

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only to it, it to Hugh, really, 
I do. 

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Those facilities listening, 
yikes. 

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00:12:39,200 --> 00:12:42,500
Yes, I recorded your hiring 
managers because in New York 

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state, you only have to have one
person know that you're 

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recording, so because I thought 
that I was doing such a terrible

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job. 
So with 75 interviews, right? 

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I must be the worst. 
I'm the worst rate at 15. 

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I'm like, oh my goodness, let's 
go. 

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I don't know if we mention this 
but I was Miss wilshere New 

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York, which is an advocacy 
pageant platform. 

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Yes. 
My I had a I had an interview 

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coach who taught me how to 
interview like, who taught me 

238
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how to speak. 
Because I had so much media and 

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press and how to take a pause 
and think before you speak. 

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So, you know, I was just always 
flabbergasted to get to this 

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point of having a conversation 
and an interview and then never 

242
00:13:25,000 --> 00:13:26,900
get a call back. 
Something's wrong. 

243
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Like I internalized me being the
person that was wrong until I 

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realized that it was the 
disability and them not being 

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able to Fathom past a wheelchair
doing something. 

246
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More than they think that they 
know. 

247
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Yeah. 
So, how did you get someone to 

248
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take a chance on you? 
I guess, like, in call it a 

249
00:13:44,600 --> 00:13:47,500
chance, like, how did you figure
that out? 

250
00:13:47,500 --> 00:13:50,500
What was that interview like 
compared to all the others 

251
00:13:50,500 --> 00:13:53,000
covid? 
Hate, thank you, covid. 

252
00:13:53,000 --> 00:13:56,500
For the one thing that came out 
of covid was one, everybody was 

253
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remote and to everybody was 
scrambling for nurses. 

254
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It didn't matter anymore. 
Right. 

255
00:14:01,500 --> 00:14:04,600
Every single nurse was needed 
Across the Nation. 

256
00:14:04,600 --> 00:14:07,000
We needed nurses out of 
retirement, we needed. 

257
00:14:07,100 --> 00:14:08,300
Nurses. 
Who could just get on the phone?

258
00:14:08,300 --> 00:14:10,200
We need two nurses, who could do
triage in the hospital's. 

259
00:14:10,300 --> 00:14:13,200
We need to nurses and I see you 
desperately in the, ER, is 

260
00:14:13,200 --> 00:14:15,700
desperately. 
So, here I am with all of this 

261
00:14:15,700 --> 00:14:21,200
knowledge and hospital system. 
Puts up their HR number begging 

262
00:14:21,200 --> 00:14:25,200
for nurses, and I reply, and I 
remember talking to my preceptor

263
00:14:25,500 --> 00:14:28,500
saying to her, I'm going to go 
into this place. 

264
00:14:29,000 --> 00:14:32,100
They are already pushing me 
through the hiring process. 

265
00:14:32,800 --> 00:14:35,700
They're going to see my chair 
and they're going to say, no. 

266
00:14:36,700 --> 00:14:40,300
And she reminded me that on the 
bottom of every business 

267
00:14:40,300 --> 00:14:42,700
statement, no matter what 
mission statement, anywhere, 

268
00:14:42,800 --> 00:14:46,400
every business has to abide by 
one thing and that's the EEOC 

269
00:14:46,400 --> 00:14:48,900
statement. 
So it means that they are an 

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00:14:48,900 --> 00:14:50,600
Equal Opportunity Employment, 
right? 

271
00:14:50,600 --> 00:14:52,300
They're not going to 
discriminate. 

272
00:14:52,400 --> 00:14:55,500
So if they the moment they say 
you're not, welcome? 

273
00:14:55,500 --> 00:14:59,000
Or they're going to renew your 
contract, bring it up. 

274
00:14:59,900 --> 00:15:03,800
Keep recording have a bad home 
fight for yourself and it was 

275
00:15:03,800 --> 00:15:06,200
the same. 
Just the encouragement that I I 

276
00:15:06,208 --> 00:15:09,700
had needed to actually do what 
I've already been doing for 

277
00:15:09,700 --> 00:15:12,200
other people just for myself in 
a situation that has never been 

278
00:15:12,200 --> 00:15:14,900
done before. 
So I didn't even need all of 

279
00:15:14,900 --> 00:15:17,900
that because I got the job. 
The nurse educator. 

280
00:15:17,900 --> 00:15:19,800
Didn't say anything to me. 
I get to the floor. 

281
00:15:19,800 --> 00:15:24,700
I'm on a clean unit during covid
the first half of it and I get 

282
00:15:24,700 --> 00:15:26,200
stuck with a patient that's on a
vent. 

283
00:15:26,200 --> 00:15:29,700
And the I'm on an ortho floor 
which is considered a clean unit

284
00:15:29,700 --> 00:15:32,000
at the moment and none of the 
ortho nurses knew how to control

285
00:15:32,000 --> 00:15:36,000
the vent but the vent was going 
off and they're calling for 

286
00:15:36,300 --> 00:15:38,600
Respiratory therapy. 
But again this is covid. 

287
00:15:38,600 --> 00:15:40,900
So respiratory therapy is spread
thin. 

288
00:15:40,900 --> 00:15:45,200
Your Co teams are spread thin, 
your rapid response or spread 

289
00:15:45,200 --> 00:15:47,200
thin. 
So usually you don't have more 

290
00:15:47,200 --> 00:15:50,000
than three teams of this group 
anyway. 

291
00:15:50,000 --> 00:15:53,900
So I go into the room and I was 
like I can do it. 

292
00:15:53,900 --> 00:15:57,500
I have friends who are quads 
that are on permanent vents like

293
00:15:57,500 --> 00:16:01,200
I can I can figure this out and 
I go in there and I have that 

294
00:16:01,200 --> 00:16:02,600
knowledge because it's the same 
vent. 

295
00:16:02,600 --> 00:16:05,000
A friend of mine has I know what
high peak means. 

296
00:16:05,000 --> 00:16:06,900
I know I needed to get some 
suction in there. 

297
00:16:06,900 --> 00:16:10,100
I know I needed to, you know, 
loosen her up for some saline. 

298
00:16:10,100 --> 00:16:13,500
Let's go and afterward there. 
All praising me to the nurse 

299
00:16:13,500 --> 00:16:16,000
manager and Drea has vent mount,
Ginger, and knows what she's 

300
00:16:16,000 --> 00:16:17,900
doing. 
These shoot me straight to the 

301
00:16:17,900 --> 00:16:22,000
ICU. 
This thing I was always wanted 

302
00:16:22,000 --> 00:16:24,800
to do, which day you would been 
told you can't. 

303
00:16:24,800 --> 00:16:28,300
Do you not being allowed to do 
now? 

304
00:16:28,600 --> 00:16:30,400
You're standing in the room, 
doing it. 

305
00:16:30,400 --> 00:16:31,800
And you're like, doing, I'm 
here. 

306
00:16:32,300 --> 00:16:37,300
You're doing really standing. 
I'm sitting but I mean, the 

307
00:16:37,300 --> 00:16:38,000
first section. 
No? 

308
00:16:38,000 --> 00:16:39,300
Right. 
So the perception is. 

309
00:16:39,300 --> 00:16:42,500
Yes, I am sitting in the room 
doing this, you know what I 

310
00:16:42,500 --> 00:16:44,600
need? 
I need you to just get back. 

311
00:16:49,100 --> 00:16:52,300
I want your listeners to 
realize, like there is no real 

312
00:16:52,300 --> 00:16:56,600
difference between sitting and 
standing sitting for 12 hours 

313
00:16:56,600 --> 00:16:58,700
versus standing. 
The difference is that I'm not 

314
00:16:58,700 --> 00:17:02,200
going to hurt at the end of my 
shift. 

315
00:17:03,100 --> 00:17:04,900
Dogs. 
Don't bark like biting. 

316
00:17:04,900 --> 00:17:07,900
Do they do? 
My body is used to sitting on an

317
00:17:07,900 --> 00:17:11,800
air cushion for 12-plus hours a 
day on a regular basis. 

318
00:17:12,099 --> 00:17:15,400
My arms are used to pushing my 
chair the way I need to go for 

319
00:17:15,400 --> 00:17:19,500
miles, I did a New York City 
marathon 26 points. 6 miles of 

320
00:17:19,500 --> 00:17:23,000
straight rolling around. 
I want to know what nurses doing

321
00:17:23,000 --> 00:17:25,500
this and saying that, they're 
ok, at the end of their shift, 

322
00:17:25,500 --> 00:17:28,300
you're not. 
And I get to say, I don't have 

323
00:17:28,300 --> 00:17:30,300
to worry about that. 
Yes, you are. 

324
00:17:30,300 --> 00:17:32,400
So right, oh my goodness. 
What? 

325
00:17:32,500 --> 00:17:37,200
Respective, you have, after you 
work in the ICU, you've got this

326
00:17:37,200 --> 00:17:41,300
contract, you are again sitting 
in the room. 

327
00:17:41,300 --> 00:17:45,700
Like, I've finally arrived what 
ends up happening at the end of 

328
00:17:45,708 --> 00:17:49,300
pent of the pandemic. 
So contracts are cut and I'm 

329
00:17:49,300 --> 00:17:51,500
talking I've already made 
friends with the nurse managers 

330
00:17:51,500 --> 00:17:57,500
on different units and I didn't 
realize and maybe I'll edit this

331
00:17:57,500 --> 00:18:00,500
part a little bit, but I didn't 
realize you have the nurse 

332
00:18:00,500 --> 00:18:04,500
manager that I had met on the 
first night of my contract, she 

333
00:18:04,500 --> 00:18:08,400
had asked me if I had ever 
worked a unit before and the 

334
00:18:08,400 --> 00:18:10,600
answer of course was to do 
clinicals. 

335
00:18:10,600 --> 00:18:11,500
Yeah. 
Yeah. 

336
00:18:11,700 --> 00:18:14,400
You know, I've been a health 
director for a camper ready. 

337
00:18:14,400 --> 00:18:16,900
I know how to triage I know what
to do. 

338
00:18:17,100 --> 00:18:22,500
And again, 33 surgeries thirty 
seven to be exact but you know I

339
00:18:22,500 --> 00:18:25,900
already know how to run every 
single pump and Alaris Widow 

340
00:18:25,900 --> 00:18:27,500
polarizers. 
Whatever you want to put in 

341
00:18:27,500 --> 00:18:28,700
front of me. 
I know how to run them. 

342
00:18:28,700 --> 00:18:31,000
You wanted to have friend, rip. 
I probably had three of those 

343
00:18:31,000 --> 00:18:32,900
already want to do. 
Singing. 

344
00:18:32,900 --> 00:18:36,000
I get regular blood transfusions
like so I have the patient 

345
00:18:36,000 --> 00:18:39,500
perspective and I know all of 
that but now I have the nursing 

346
00:18:39,500 --> 00:18:42,700
knowledge and you're asking me 
if I've ever worked at unit, 

347
00:18:42,800 --> 00:18:46,300
okay, cool. 
I literally said to her, HR got 

348
00:18:46,300 --> 00:18:48,600
me this far. 
If you have any issues, please 

349
00:18:48,600 --> 00:18:51,900
go back to HR, but at the end of
the contract, as I'm asking 

350
00:18:51,900 --> 00:18:55,200
these managers to take into 
consideration, hiring me. 

351
00:18:55,500 --> 00:19:00,100
It has to go through this one 
manager who already has this 

352
00:19:00,400 --> 00:19:04,300
preconceived notion about my 
Disability on units. 

353
00:19:04,700 --> 00:19:08,300
Post, pandemic and pre-pandemic.
So pandemic is pandemic. 

354
00:19:08,400 --> 00:19:12,100
It's all hands. 
But as soon as that's done, 

355
00:19:12,500 --> 00:19:16,200
we're kind of like, oh, thanks 
for your service by and I'm 

356
00:19:16,200 --> 00:19:18,800
like, yeah, now, I'm recreating 
myself again. 

357
00:19:19,000 --> 00:19:22,700
So I go back to the school. 
I am School nursing. 

358
00:19:23,100 --> 00:19:25,600
I get a job as the assistant 
nurse manager at a family care 

359
00:19:25,600 --> 00:19:27,400
practice. 
And I'm like, yes I can do this.

360
00:19:27,400 --> 00:19:33,000
I can run circles around this 
now, and I did that. 

361
00:19:33,300 --> 00:19:35,000
And then I started my own 
nonprofit. 

362
00:19:35,400 --> 00:19:37,200
No, this is. 
So I want to hear about how you 

363
00:19:37,200 --> 00:19:40,700
started your nonprofit. 
How did this all All play out. 

364
00:19:40,700 --> 00:19:45,000
Like what happened on September 
10th, 2020. 

365
00:19:45,500 --> 00:19:48,600
This was right after my 
contract, had finished, Craig 

366
00:19:48,600 --> 00:19:52,800
age, Nielsen and Good Morning. 
America, surprise me with a 

367
00:19:52,808 --> 00:19:57,200
grant for 1 million dollars. 
I won the Visionary, prize award

368
00:19:57,300 --> 00:20:01,700
for my perseverance, and my 
ability to not give up and prove

369
00:20:01,700 --> 00:20:04,700
that even through the worst of 
times, there's some type of. 

370
00:20:04,700 --> 00:20:07,100
What is the resilience? 
Yes. 

371
00:20:07,400 --> 00:20:11,000
Yes you're incredibly resilient 
your Credible, you are 

372
00:20:11,000 --> 00:20:13,700
absolutely incredible. 
One of the things that I 

373
00:20:13,700 --> 00:20:18,000
remember hearing about in your 
other interview, I was listening

374
00:20:18,000 --> 00:20:22,000
to your other podcast episodes 
and I remember lying that you 

375
00:20:22,000 --> 00:20:26,000
said that just completely just 
hit me right in the middle and 

376
00:20:26,000 --> 00:20:31,100
the chest to the heart and you 
said why what I am doing for 

377
00:20:31,100 --> 00:20:36,300
people that are disabled with my
nonprofit and advocating for 

378
00:20:36,400 --> 00:20:39,600
people that have disabilities 
and bridging those gaps between 

379
00:20:39,700 --> 00:20:43,500
Ween job, interviews, and job 
options, and allowing them to 

380
00:20:43,500 --> 00:20:47,000
really get what they need from A
system that says that they're 

381
00:20:47,000 --> 00:20:51,100
supportive says that they don't 
discriminate, but then 

382
00:20:51,100 --> 00:20:53,600
discriminate because that's 
exactly what's happening, right?

383
00:20:53,600 --> 00:20:57,300
Like you're you're saying that 
like 76 interview 75 going to 

384
00:20:57,300 --> 00:21:00,700
reviews, like I wasn't given a 
chance even after I was there 

385
00:21:00,700 --> 00:21:04,000
doing the job proving that I 
could do it, I wasn't given the 

386
00:21:04,000 --> 00:21:06,800
opportunity and I was 
discriminated against said, all 

387
00:21:06,800 --> 00:21:09,600
it takes is one moment for you 
to be able. 

388
00:21:10,300 --> 00:21:13,900
To being disabled, it can happen
in a blink of an eye. 

389
00:21:13,900 --> 00:21:17,600
It can happen with just one 
single mistake, one single 

390
00:21:17,600 --> 00:21:22,600
accident, one single, anything, 
anything you could be where I am

391
00:21:22,800 --> 00:21:25,200
or it or worse, or in different 
situations. 

392
00:21:25,200 --> 00:21:30,100
And so I had that very moment 
realized that this is important.

393
00:21:30,200 --> 00:21:34,400
This is everybody's fight. 
It's easy to separate yourself 

394
00:21:34,500 --> 00:21:36,500
from it and just below. 
Those are her problems. 

395
00:21:37,400 --> 00:21:40,400
Oh, let it happen. 
To you. 

396
00:21:40,600 --> 00:21:45,100
Let it be that you were in the 
position and now you have a very

397
00:21:45,100 --> 00:21:49,700
different appreciation for what 
you have been fighting for. 

398
00:21:49,700 --> 00:21:55,300
And so, the award is well earned
you definitely deserved it. 

399
00:21:55,400 --> 00:22:00,700
And again I am just in awe, an 
inspired by what you've been 

400
00:22:00,700 --> 00:22:03,400
able to do and now how you're 
able to help others. 

401
00:22:03,400 --> 00:22:07,100
And why we all have a dog in 
this fight. 

402
00:22:07,300 --> 00:22:10,900
I'll do like, always, you're 
writing for Is for everyone, you

403
00:22:10,900 --> 00:22:15,100
are fighting for Humanity, you 
are fighting for personhood, you

404
00:22:15,100 --> 00:22:19,700
are fighting for people to be 
seen as equal regardless of the 

405
00:22:19,708 --> 00:22:23,800
disability. 
I just, I can be your hype woman

406
00:22:23,800 --> 00:22:28,500
all day. 
I'm here, just to piggyback off 

407
00:22:28,500 --> 00:22:30,100
of that, right? 
Let's let's bring it back down 

408
00:22:30,100 --> 00:22:34,000
into the realm of just 
Healthcare in nurses, and I love

409
00:22:34,000 --> 00:22:37,600
to talk about this part. 
Now, is the fact that we chose 

410
00:22:37,600 --> 00:22:41,200
nursing to be The Healing Hand. 
For whatever reason you got into

411
00:22:41,200 --> 00:22:43,100
it, okay. 
Even if you went into it for 

412
00:22:43,100 --> 00:22:45,400
money no one's in this for 
money. 

413
00:22:45,400 --> 00:22:49,000
So there had to be at some point
that Healing Hand that I need to

414
00:22:49,000 --> 00:22:51,700
make a difference part of you, 
whether you're doing it because 

415
00:22:51,700 --> 00:22:54,000
of a family member, whether 
you're doing it because of you, 

416
00:22:54,500 --> 00:22:58,800
whatever the case is, We join 
this profession because we care 

417
00:22:59,400 --> 00:23:03,600
and we give so much of that care
to our patients, no matter what,

418
00:23:04,800 --> 00:23:10,100
How is it that we don't in turn,
receive that care back when they

419
00:23:10,100 --> 00:23:15,200
come to our door, asking for a 
job or asking to be an intern or

420
00:23:15,200 --> 00:23:19,800
be in the program or to get into
nursing school because now we've

421
00:23:19,800 --> 00:23:23,000
already seen their deficit. 
Now we see it, whether it's 

422
00:23:23,200 --> 00:23:26,000
present and visible or invisible
and they're letting us know 

423
00:23:26,000 --> 00:23:28,400
about it, we're closing the 
door. 

424
00:23:29,800 --> 00:23:34,900
On the hard work that we put in,
we, we heal these people, we 

425
00:23:34,900 --> 00:23:39,800
literally give our souls to heal
these people every day, post 

426
00:23:39,800 --> 00:23:42,600
pandemic even more. 
So now, the way we are running 

427
00:23:42,600 --> 00:23:47,000
around short-staffed and, and 
overworked and underpaid, and 

428
00:23:47,000 --> 00:23:51,600
not valued and devalued, and yet
there's a whole section of of 

429
00:23:51,600 --> 00:23:55,100
nurses who have disabilities and
chronic illnesses, post 

430
00:23:55,100 --> 00:23:58,100
pandemic, who cannot figure out 
how to even get back into their 

431
00:23:58,100 --> 00:24:00,800
positions. 
Because other nurses are now 

432
00:24:00,800 --> 00:24:01,900
gatekeeper saying, wait a 
minute. 

433
00:24:01,900 --> 00:24:03,300
You should take some time off, 
wait a minute. 

434
00:24:03,300 --> 00:24:04,500
We don't know if this is going 
to work for you. 

435
00:24:04,500 --> 00:24:08,000
Me maybe we should try something
different instead of allowing 

436
00:24:08,000 --> 00:24:10,400
them to come back and seeing how
that job is going to work for 

437
00:24:10,400 --> 00:24:13,300
them instead of allowing them 
into a program and working with 

438
00:24:13,300 --> 00:24:15,900
them to ensure that they can 
learn how to be a nurse 

439
00:24:15,900 --> 00:24:18,000
effectively. 
And if they can't physically do 

440
00:24:18,000 --> 00:24:19,900
it themselves. 
Can they walk someone through it

441
00:24:19,900 --> 00:24:23,300
verbally because that's what 911
operators do. 

442
00:24:23,400 --> 00:24:26,600
That's what police officers do. 
That's what fire services do. 

443
00:24:26,600 --> 00:24:29,000
But yet we're holding nurses and
doctors to a whole different 

444
00:24:29,000 --> 00:24:31,000
standards. 
You have doctors on the phone 

445
00:24:31,500 --> 00:24:34,400
with Doctors Without Borders, 
across the sea walking them 

446
00:24:34,400 --> 00:24:38,300
through procedures on the phone,
they have web cameras WebEx in 

447
00:24:38,300 --> 00:24:40,700
people, to get through 
procedures. 

448
00:24:41,300 --> 00:24:44,800
But what, if nursing because of 
the fact that we're so physical.

449
00:24:44,800 --> 00:24:49,200
And we're so bedside, Focus. 
Hmm. 

450
00:24:49,200 --> 00:24:53,300
We forget that. 
Every single one of us belong in

451
00:24:53,300 --> 00:24:56,800
this profession, if we choose to
be there, Yeah. 

452
00:24:57,200 --> 00:25:00,700
Yeah, because what you're 
describing is like the scarcity 

453
00:25:00,700 --> 00:25:02,000
mindset. 
We talked a little bit about 

454
00:25:02,000 --> 00:25:04,500
this before the podcast and I'm 
obsessed with this mindset, 

455
00:25:04,500 --> 00:25:09,000
because I believe that I've been
a victim to thinking of, there's

456
00:25:09,000 --> 00:25:11,900
just a lack of your, were all 
playing a game of spoon. 

457
00:25:11,900 --> 00:25:14,000
So we all have to grab a spoon 
and let's hope you're not the 

458
00:25:14,000 --> 00:25:15,900
one without a spoon. 
You know, you played that game. 

459
00:25:15,900 --> 00:25:17,000
Yeah. 
And there's always one less 

460
00:25:17,000 --> 00:25:20,200
spoon so someone's going to be 
without and I have started to 

461
00:25:20,200 --> 00:25:23,400
enforce myself to embrace an 
abundance mindset of. 

462
00:25:23,408 --> 00:25:26,200
There are a ton of options, 
everyone's Got a seat at the 

463
00:25:26,200 --> 00:25:29,500
table. 
Everyone has the ability to do 

464
00:25:29,600 --> 00:25:34,900
something, and whenever you do 
not value people's personhood 

465
00:25:34,900 --> 00:25:38,000
and they value their 
contribution to society, in 

466
00:25:38,000 --> 00:25:42,000
whichever way that looks like 
everyone has a role to play. 

467
00:25:42,100 --> 00:25:45,400
And everyone has something that 
they can bring to the table 

468
00:25:45,700 --> 00:25:49,100
every single soul on this 
planet. 

469
00:25:49,100 --> 00:25:52,300
And if you don't open up your 
hearts and your mind to 

470
00:25:52,800 --> 00:25:55,500
everyone's got purpose. 
So let's find her. 

471
00:25:55,700 --> 00:25:58,100
Let's help her. 
Let's get her into those 

472
00:25:58,100 --> 00:26:01,600
opportunities where she can 
shine because again, your 

473
00:26:01,600 --> 00:26:05,300
nonprofit is how your shining 
someone gave you that 

474
00:26:05,300 --> 00:26:09,200
opportunity to go now go shine 
and you're like running with it.

475
00:26:09,200 --> 00:26:11,600
And I just think it's so 
beautiful that even though 

476
00:26:11,800 --> 00:26:15,400
people that were trying to hold 
you down and stop you from doing

477
00:26:15,400 --> 00:26:18,300
the thing that you knew you were
met on to do on this planet. 

478
00:26:18,300 --> 00:26:21,600
Like, you were meant to do this 
on your, on this planet. 

479
00:26:21,600 --> 00:26:25,000
And you are moving in your 
purpose and I think that's what.

480
00:26:25,000 --> 00:26:28,900
So Firing to me is that you are 
moving in your purpose and your 

481
00:26:28,900 --> 00:26:33,600
letting no one, not your your 
disability, not your attract, I 

482
00:26:33,600 --> 00:26:36,400
feel like, I feel like you're 
just abilities become this now. 

483
00:26:36,400 --> 00:26:39,600
Beautiful badge of honor that 
you get to wear and say I am 

484
00:26:39,600 --> 00:26:44,300
qualified because of this and it
is again just something that as 

485
00:26:44,300 --> 00:26:46,500
I've heard you. 
Listen and I've listened to your

486
00:26:46,500 --> 00:26:48,600
podcast episodes. 
And I've heard you talk today. 

487
00:26:48,800 --> 00:26:52,100
Just keeps reverberating in my 
mind that you are meant for 

488
00:26:52,100 --> 00:26:53,900
something that's specific for 
you. 

489
00:26:53,900 --> 00:26:58,000
That only you can fulfill And 
every nurse is in that spot 

490
00:26:58,000 --> 00:27:01,900
regardless of disability 
regardless of your past because 

491
00:27:01,900 --> 00:27:05,800
we all have a disability, we do 
with things that you don't deal 

492
00:27:05,800 --> 00:27:09,400
with exactly that are specific 
to me that our problems that 

493
00:27:09,400 --> 00:27:12,100
every month I have to, I have to
get have to get Imaging every 

494
00:27:12,100 --> 00:27:14,900
year that again, I don't really 
talk about my own personal 

495
00:27:14,900 --> 00:27:17,400
health issues, but I have health
issues that I actually have to 

496
00:27:17,400 --> 00:27:20,100
get looked at every year. 
I have to have evaluated, you 

497
00:27:20,100 --> 00:27:22,400
don't have to deal with 
necessarily what I'm doing with.

498
00:27:22,400 --> 00:27:25,500
Yeah, I can't let that hold me 
back. 

499
00:27:25,600 --> 00:27:28,500
Back from my purpose, like you 
just can't. 

500
00:27:28,500 --> 00:27:31,400
And so I love that. 
I love that so much. 

501
00:27:31,400 --> 00:27:33,700
And I want that to just 
reverberate so much in this 

502
00:27:33,700 --> 00:27:37,700
podcast episode and for every 
nurse listening that you have 

503
00:27:37,700 --> 00:27:41,200
something that you're supposed 
to do the specific for you, were

504
00:27:41,200 --> 00:27:43,700
talking a little bit before all 
this like, you know, just with 

505
00:27:43,700 --> 00:27:45,900
people with disabilities in 
general, when you think about 

506
00:27:45,900 --> 00:27:48,300
their Rock Bottom, there Rock 
Bottom is giving up their 

507
00:27:48,300 --> 00:27:51,800
complete vulnerability to 
someone else and hoping that 

508
00:27:51,800 --> 00:27:54,000
they're true that the trust that
you're giving them and you're 

509
00:27:54,000 --> 00:27:59,300
most vulnerable state will be 
Respected and and given a chance

510
00:27:59,300 --> 00:28:02,700
to grow and heal and figure out 
what life looks like. 

511
00:28:03,100 --> 00:28:07,100
And at my most vulnerable, 
there's multitude. 

512
00:28:07,200 --> 00:28:09,100
We go through our 
vulnerabilities, very 

513
00:28:09,100 --> 00:28:11,900
differently, but my 
vulnerability is very visible. 

514
00:28:12,400 --> 00:28:14,800
I can't hide rolling into a 
room. 

515
00:28:15,000 --> 00:28:18,000
I can't hide my disability. 
And when you can hide your 

516
00:28:18,000 --> 00:28:21,100
disability, it's another 
pressure to be able to say it to

517
00:28:21,100 --> 00:28:24,500
someone and hope that they 
believe that what you're asking 

518
00:28:24,500 --> 00:28:25,900
for is actually needed. 
It. 

519
00:28:26,400 --> 00:28:28,900
Oh I don't really see him that 
sicko you're not really that 

520
00:28:28,900 --> 00:28:30,500
way. 
Oh, I don't know what is this 

521
00:28:30,500 --> 00:28:33,900
coming about now? 
Like we question People's Health

522
00:28:34,000 --> 00:28:37,400
and Healthcare. 
We question people's ability and

523
00:28:37,400 --> 00:28:40,200
healthcare for getting that 
technology has gotten us to this

524
00:28:40,200 --> 00:28:43,600
place. 
And to this point in time that 

525
00:28:43,600 --> 00:28:47,000
opportunities are literally 
endless to the point because 

526
00:28:47,000 --> 00:28:50,100
technology is just moving and 
advancement farther than we 

527
00:28:50,100 --> 00:28:52,200
could have ever imagined. 
And when you think about like, 

528
00:28:52,300 --> 00:28:55,500
oh you got discriminated against
you should have filed a report 

529
00:28:55,900 --> 00:29:00,000
No one blatantly told me they're
not going to hire me because I'm

530
00:29:00,000 --> 00:29:02,000
sitting in a wheelchair. 
No one's going to do that. 

531
00:29:02,000 --> 00:29:04,900
That's not how it works. 
You don't just get to file a 

532
00:29:04,908 --> 00:29:08,500
complaint because you don't get 
the job, you know, I have to be 

533
00:29:08,500 --> 00:29:11,300
vulnerable. 
You have to allow for someone to

534
00:29:11,600 --> 00:29:15,600
think outside the box, and I 
can't force you to think. 

535
00:29:15,600 --> 00:29:18,700
That way all I can do is give 
you the information and hope 

536
00:29:18,700 --> 00:29:23,100
that you look at it from my side
of you, where, you've given me 

537
00:29:23,100 --> 00:29:27,500
the opportunity to live. 
Open surgeries is not a small 

538
00:29:27,500 --> 00:29:30,900
feat. 37 surgeries means that 
there's 37 different. 

539
00:29:30,900 --> 00:29:33,700
Oh, our staffs that have been in
my care. 

540
00:29:33,800 --> 00:29:36,300
There are 30 different pacu 
staff that has been in my care. 

541
00:29:36,300 --> 00:29:40,500
There's 37 ICU staff that has 
been in my care. 

542
00:29:40,500 --> 00:29:43,800
And that's just pods, right? 
37 pods because it's 37 

543
00:29:43,800 --> 00:29:47,100
surgeries and out of all those 
teams I'm living today 

544
00:29:47,700 --> 00:29:50,400
successfully in my own role. 
Because whatever success means 

545
00:29:50,400 --> 00:29:52,400
to me, may not be what success 
is for you. 

546
00:29:52,600 --> 00:29:55,200
Yeah. 
And I've come back to give back 

547
00:29:55,200 --> 00:29:59,600
to a That has given me something
and to constantly have to face a

548
00:29:59,600 --> 00:30:03,600
barrier is not fair to someone 
who's coming up behind me, who 

549
00:30:03,600 --> 00:30:06,800
has seen me get to the 
successful point in life who 

550
00:30:06,800 --> 00:30:10,100
sees what I've accomplished a 
successful and now trying to go 

551
00:30:10,100 --> 00:30:13,300
that route and getting the same 
blockade that I got. 

552
00:30:13,900 --> 00:30:18,100
How why are we there? 
What happens to you guys when 

553
00:30:18,300 --> 00:30:21,700
when your backs are hurting from
lifting, that 300-pound patient,

554
00:30:21,800 --> 00:30:24,100
right? 
And you your now, you slip the 

555
00:30:24,108 --> 00:30:27,700
disc. 
You Thing has happened and now 

556
00:30:27,700 --> 00:30:30,200
you can't get accommodations to 
get off whenever you need to. 

557
00:30:31,100 --> 00:30:34,300
Because again, we associate 
Healthcare with being 

558
00:30:34,500 --> 00:30:38,500
synonymously healthy and we 
equate disability to being 

559
00:30:38,500 --> 00:30:42,300
synonymously unhealthy and those
two things don't actually 

560
00:30:42,300 --> 00:30:43,600
happen. 
Yeah. 

561
00:30:43,600 --> 00:30:46,400
You never think that they 
intersect know everything that 

562
00:30:46,400 --> 00:30:49,300
healthcare workers and again you
almost have to do that when 

563
00:30:49,300 --> 00:30:52,600
you're practicing as a nurse, 
you have to kind of disassociate

564
00:30:52,600 --> 00:30:56,000
like well that's you know. 
And the problem is we are Out 

565
00:30:56,200 --> 00:30:58,500
much more vulnerable than we 
think we are. 

566
00:30:58,700 --> 00:31:03,500
And I never thought about what 
you just said that that you are 

567
00:31:03,500 --> 00:31:05,600
where you are, because of the 
system. 

568
00:31:05,600 --> 00:31:08,100
And yet the system is now saying
well yeah. 

569
00:31:08,100 --> 00:31:09,600
Sorry we're not going to give 
you any chances. 

570
00:31:09,600 --> 00:31:12,500
It's like wait, wait. 
But I'm do your weapons. 

571
00:31:12,500 --> 00:31:15,600
Are you leaving your skill set 
to get me here? 

572
00:31:18,000 --> 00:31:21,000
Like like you're just like I'm 
blowing my mind because it's so 

573
00:31:21,000 --> 00:31:24,000
true that hypocrisy of just that
whole system. 

574
00:31:24,000 --> 00:31:25,400
It's like this is so 
hypocritical. 

575
00:31:25,500 --> 00:31:29,100
Like you helped me get here with
37 surgery. 30 said 37, right 

576
00:31:29,100 --> 00:31:31,100
wait, there has to be something 
you'll be caught there. 

577
00:31:37,000 --> 00:31:38,700
Now you're like you can't do 
this. 

578
00:31:38,700 --> 00:31:42,300
This is what you can't do. 
And again not only have you done

579
00:31:42,300 --> 00:31:45,300
it, you are now reaching back 
and helping others. 

580
00:31:45,300 --> 00:31:48,900
And so just I feel like your 
whole journey has just been this

581
00:31:49,000 --> 00:31:51,500
uphill. 
Climb that you've just conquered

582
00:31:51,700 --> 00:31:54,700
thing after thing after thing. 
And I like to ask people, what 

583
00:31:54,700 --> 00:31:57,600
was one of maybe? 
Biggest challenges that you had 

584
00:31:57,600 --> 00:32:00,600
to overcome in your journey and 
if it can be like one specific 

585
00:32:00,600 --> 00:32:05,200
moment you remember just being 
like, oh this is it like have 

586
00:32:05,200 --> 00:32:08,200
you ever had a moment that? 
Remember maybe you never have 

587
00:32:08,200 --> 00:32:10,300
that, you're just so incredibly 
resilient that maybe you 

588
00:32:10,300 --> 00:32:13,300
haven't, but maybe there was a 
moment in your, in your career 

589
00:32:13,300 --> 00:32:17,400
as a nurse that you were just 
like this is it like I'm meant 

590
00:32:17,400 --> 00:32:20,600
to be here, you know? 
Not like I'm not going to make 

591
00:32:20,600 --> 00:32:23,100
it. 
Yeah then fought through like 

592
00:32:23,100 --> 00:32:26,700
you push through. 
Oh yeah, I was Was going to fail

593
00:32:26,700 --> 00:32:28,600
my last semester of nursing 
school. 

594
00:32:29,100 --> 00:32:32,200
I had already failed. 
One class pharmacology. 

595
00:32:32,200 --> 00:32:34,300
You guys who messed up with 
pharmacology? 

596
00:32:34,300 --> 00:32:36,100
Pharmacology is not our Jam, 
okay? 

597
00:32:36,200 --> 00:32:39,200
I messed up in Pharmacology, my,
my first year, in nursing 

598
00:32:39,200 --> 00:32:42,700
school, and I had to repeat the 
class, and you're only allowed 

599
00:32:42,700 --> 00:32:45,700
one fail or, you know, which one
Fair one. 

600
00:32:45,700 --> 00:32:49,300
Drop and that's it. 
Yeah, so I already used my fail 

601
00:32:49,300 --> 00:32:55,400
and I am in my last half of 
nursing school getting through. 

602
00:32:55,700 --> 00:32:59,100
Maternity and I'm failing. 
Everyone is getting 90s in the 

603
00:32:59,100 --> 00:33:00,600
class. 
I don't understand what I'm 

604
00:33:00,600 --> 00:33:02,500
left. 
Seeing I'm doing really well, in

605
00:33:02,500 --> 00:33:07,200
clinical, I am. 
Yeah, II don't know what to do? 

606
00:33:07,200 --> 00:33:09,400
Second test comes. 
I fail that test. 

607
00:33:10,200 --> 00:33:14,400
The third test comes. 
I am below what I need, so I 

608
00:33:14,400 --> 00:33:17,300
would have needed. 
There's 150 question final. 

609
00:33:18,800 --> 00:33:21,200
They told me to drop, everyone 
told me to drop. 

610
00:33:21,200 --> 00:33:24,100
The professor told me to drop 
the clinical, Professor told me 

611
00:33:24,100 --> 00:33:26,800
to drop. 
She actually begged on my behalf

612
00:33:26,800 --> 00:33:28,900
to figure out some type of like 
extra credit. 

613
00:33:28,900 --> 00:33:31,300
Because I was so great as a 
clinical peer. 

614
00:33:31,300 --> 00:33:32,900
That she was like, no, there's 
no way. 

615
00:33:32,900 --> 00:33:36,400
The, the dean of the program 
called me into her office. 

616
00:33:36,400 --> 00:33:38,000
Pulled me out of class called me
into her office. 

617
00:33:38,000 --> 00:33:41,100
And told me that she would give 
me two days past the deadline to

618
00:33:41,100 --> 00:33:44,000
drop the class. 
That's how badly they want me to

619
00:33:44,000 --> 00:33:46,000
be like, do not go through with 
it. 

620
00:33:46,000 --> 00:33:49,800
They really thought I was going 
to fail and Like in some ways it

621
00:33:49,800 --> 00:33:52,100
was the encouragement to drop 
and not fill out because they 

622
00:33:52,100 --> 00:33:55,000
wanted me to pass and in some 
ways it was more, which is kind.

623
00:33:55,000 --> 00:33:59,200
Yeah, which is great. 
And in other ways it's like, you

624
00:33:59,200 --> 00:34:01,400
know, your tests are really bad.
So can you stop? 

625
00:34:01,400 --> 00:34:03,800
Because everyone is passing 
because they have test Banks, so

626
00:34:03,900 --> 00:34:05,900
sorry. 
So my class I'm out in all of 

627
00:34:05,900 --> 00:34:08,300
you guys. 
And here, I am trying to like 

628
00:34:08,300 --> 00:34:13,100
actually understand what it is 
that I am learning because I 

629
00:34:13,100 --> 00:34:18,000
can't afford to mess up the 
pressure that I had on myself 

630
00:34:18,000 --> 00:34:21,600
was so I should probably draw. 
I should I should give it up and

631
00:34:21,600 --> 00:34:24,600
I was literally on my way up to 
the Dean's office on the second 

632
00:34:24,600 --> 00:34:28,000
day before 5:00 and 
upperclassmen, saw me and said, 

633
00:34:28,000 --> 00:34:29,400
what are you doing here? 
You're not supposed to be here 

634
00:34:29,699 --> 00:34:32,000
and I said, I gotta go drop a 
class and they were like, aren't

635
00:34:32,000 --> 00:34:33,400
you graduating this year? 
And I said, yes. 

636
00:34:33,400 --> 00:34:35,500
And they were like coming to the
nurses Lounge. 

637
00:34:36,500 --> 00:34:38,100
They said, what do you need? 
What do you have? 

638
00:34:38,100 --> 00:34:39,900
They wrote out, I still have the
picture. 

639
00:34:39,900 --> 00:34:42,800
It actually gives me chills. 
They wrote out all of my tests. 

640
00:34:42,800 --> 00:34:46,199
They did my average, they told 
me what I needed to get, I 

641
00:34:46,207 --> 00:34:48,300
needed to have 80 questions 
right on the final. 

642
00:34:48,500 --> 00:34:54,500
Order to pass the class with a b
- so they're like, what are you 

643
00:34:54,500 --> 00:34:55,600
going to do with that 
information now? 

644
00:34:55,600 --> 00:34:58,200
Like don't listen to what the 
dean says, like, we know, you're

645
00:34:58,200 --> 00:35:00,500
going to go drop your class but 
you only need 80 questions out 

646
00:35:00,500 --> 00:35:03,700
of 150. 
You can do this and I took the 

647
00:35:03,700 --> 00:35:07,700
lead because the upperclassmen 
believed in me so much when I 

648
00:35:07,700 --> 00:35:08,900
didn't believe in myself 
anymore. 

649
00:35:09,000 --> 00:35:11,600
I was like, everyone around me 
is telling me to drop. 

650
00:35:12,300 --> 00:35:14,500
I need to drop, right? 
Don't don't give up this 

651
00:35:14,500 --> 00:35:18,300
opportunity and if it weren't 
for those. 

652
00:35:18,400 --> 00:35:19,800
Upperclassman. 
They didn't know me, I wasn't in

653
00:35:19,800 --> 00:35:21,900
their class, I wasn't in their 
cohort, I didn't go to clinicals

654
00:35:21,900 --> 00:35:23,300
with them. 
They've never seen me operate 

655
00:35:23,300 --> 00:35:26,000
before, but had it not been from
then I would have dropped 

656
00:35:26,000 --> 00:35:28,300
because I would have listened to
everyone else's know, for me, 

657
00:35:28,300 --> 00:35:30,700
and I'm so adamant. 
Now, I'm listening to my phone. 

658
00:35:30,700 --> 00:35:37,000
Yes, that those upperclassmen 
really gave me back my yes to 

659
00:35:37,000 --> 00:35:39,800
say you can do this. 
Just put in the work two weeks, 

660
00:35:39,800 --> 00:35:42,900
you have two weeks until the 
final and I called another one 

661
00:35:42,900 --> 00:35:46,400
of my friends who was already a 
nurse and she went through over 

662
00:35:46,400 --> 00:35:48,300
1,000 maternity questions with 
me. 

663
00:35:48,500 --> 00:35:51,700
In two weeks, we did almost 150 
questions on night. 

664
00:35:51,700 --> 00:35:56,300
Almost depending went through, 
all the everything I watched all

665
00:35:56,300 --> 00:35:58,400
the videos. 
I was on YouTube non-stop. 

666
00:35:58,400 --> 00:36:01,800
I maybe got four hours of sleep 
during that time frame and I 

667
00:36:01,800 --> 00:36:06,800
passed, I passed and that was 
just believing in me enough to 

668
00:36:06,800 --> 00:36:10,200
say I can get through it. 
When even at a point in time, 

669
00:36:10,200 --> 00:36:13,200
everyone else was saying, no, 
and I was falling into that, 

670
00:36:13,200 --> 00:36:16,700
trap of know like give it up. 
You can have another chance in 

671
00:36:16,900 --> 00:36:20,300
and I'm not going to Negate 
having another chance. 

672
00:36:20,400 --> 00:36:22,800
I could have taken that job and 
I could have excelled through 

673
00:36:22,800 --> 00:36:27,100
that and if I had failed, it 
would have been terrible. 

674
00:36:28,300 --> 00:36:32,000
But I took the chance on me. 
So you have to kind of always 

675
00:36:32,000 --> 00:36:37,200
bet on yourself and not allow 
someone else to dictate your 

676
00:36:37,200 --> 00:36:40,200
move. 
And if you need to take that 

677
00:36:40,200 --> 00:36:42,700
break because of whatever is 
happening, then take the brake. 

678
00:36:42,700 --> 00:36:45,600
So for a nurses that are hearing
the story and and thinking, oh 

679
00:36:45,600 --> 00:36:48,100
my goodness, like I don't know 
how I would have been able to go

680
00:36:48,100 --> 00:36:49,700
through that test and take the 
drop. 

681
00:36:50,000 --> 00:36:53,100
You have it, if you have to 
extend your time so that you 

682
00:36:53,100 --> 00:36:56,200
understand the material, then do
that, I just knew what I was 

683
00:36:56,200 --> 00:37:00,200
capable of in that moment and 
the resources that I had and the

684
00:37:00,200 --> 00:37:03,600
fact that Those upperclassmen 
really just motivated me enough 

685
00:37:03,600 --> 00:37:09,800
to give it my all instead of 
just allowing for the backtrack 

686
00:37:09,800 --> 00:37:12,000
and saying, I'm just going to 
extend my time, I would have 

687
00:37:12,000 --> 00:37:14,600
probably just taken the drop. 
And I don't know where I would 

688
00:37:14,600 --> 00:37:16,200
have been. 
I would have probably failed to 

689
00:37:16,200 --> 00:37:20,000
three exams again and I would 
have been suffering at the end. 

690
00:37:20,000 --> 00:37:23,700
So yeah, who knows? 
But I knew to better myself so I

691
00:37:23,707 --> 00:37:27,300
did love that line and you to 
bet on myself. 

692
00:37:27,300 --> 00:37:30,500
So I did, I mean that is that's 
what life is about. 

693
00:37:30,600 --> 00:37:34,600
About it is about giving 
yourself the shot to go after 

694
00:37:34,600 --> 00:37:38,100
your dreams and not again, like 
you said if you needed that drop

695
00:37:38,100 --> 00:37:41,900
fine but there's likelihood. 
It's I think there's a high 

696
00:37:42,300 --> 00:37:46,000
sense of when someone gives you 
hope and you have that sense of 

697
00:37:46,000 --> 00:37:50,500
like I'm holding on to this 
because this is the last string 

698
00:37:50,500 --> 00:37:54,500
I got and it better not break. 
I'm going to bolster the string.

699
00:37:54,500 --> 00:37:59,800
Guitars are my way to do it. 
See that word picture? 

700
00:37:59,800 --> 00:38:02,900
Would you describe? 
Not of like this is the last 

701
00:38:02,900 --> 00:38:06,900
string and I just went for it 
and I just think that's so great

702
00:38:06,900 --> 00:38:09,500
and Aundrea. 
One of the things I like to talk

703
00:38:09,500 --> 00:38:13,800
about because I noticed that 
nurses and particular, I'm sure 

704
00:38:13,800 --> 00:38:16,800
nurses with disabilities, they 
even have less resources for 

705
00:38:16,800 --> 00:38:19,200
mentorship. 
People that again, like you 

706
00:38:19,200 --> 00:38:21,400
said, talk about took, you 
talked about, you have talked 

707
00:38:21,400 --> 00:38:25,100
about representation, right? 
Seeing someone doing it. 

708
00:38:25,200 --> 00:38:27,600
And again, that's the heart of 
the podcast. 

709
00:38:27,600 --> 00:38:31,000
Is that self-efficacy? 
Is that idea that you can do it 

710
00:38:31,000 --> 00:38:33,800
yourself, right? 
And you believe that you could 

711
00:38:33,800 --> 00:38:35,900
do it because you've seen others
do it right there. 

712
00:38:35,900 --> 00:38:38,700
In terms that we understand is 
to be true. 

713
00:38:38,700 --> 00:38:42,200
Have you had any One Mentor you?
And I know that you do Mentor, 

714
00:38:42,200 --> 00:38:44,800
you've mentored other nurses 
that have been in similar 

715
00:38:44,800 --> 00:38:47,000
situations. 
You know, you find yourself in 

716
00:38:47,500 --> 00:38:49,000
kind of describe to me if 
anyone's mentored you. 

717
00:38:49,008 --> 00:38:51,300
And then if not, yeah, I like 
how you're mentoring because I 

718
00:38:51,300 --> 00:38:53,700
really think we need to do more 
of that as nurses. 

719
00:38:54,100 --> 00:38:56,400
Yeah. 
So a mentor without mentors is 

720
00:38:56,600 --> 00:38:57,900
not a mentor. 
That's one. 

721
00:38:58,000 --> 00:38:59,500
Let's put that on there right 
now. 

722
00:38:59,500 --> 00:39:01,600
If you're a mentor out, They're 
claiming that you are a mentor 

723
00:39:01,600 --> 00:39:03,700
and you don't have multiple 
different mentors. 

724
00:39:03,700 --> 00:39:06,500
You're not a mentor because you 
can't just have one Mentor. 

725
00:39:06,500 --> 00:39:09,300
You need to have a collective of
mentors, guiding your thought 

726
00:39:09,300 --> 00:39:11,400
processes and allowing for you 
yourself. 

727
00:39:11,400 --> 00:39:15,200
To figure out the path and how 
you then can can transition for 

728
00:39:15,200 --> 00:39:17,000
someone else. 
Right. 

729
00:39:17,000 --> 00:39:20,400
So let's put that up there. 
And then also a coaching 

730
00:39:20,700 --> 00:39:24,500
coaching is different than 
mentoring you pay for a coach to

731
00:39:24,500 --> 00:39:27,400
get you to the next spot. 
A mentor can just give you 

732
00:39:27,400 --> 00:39:30,000
advice, right? 
Or you can pay for your mentor 

733
00:39:30,000 --> 00:39:31,200
to and they can Be your life, 
coach. 

734
00:39:31,200 --> 00:39:37,300
Hey, whatever works. 
But I was blessed to have a 

735
00:39:37,300 --> 00:39:40,700
multitude of mentors come 
through for me at different 

736
00:39:40,700 --> 00:39:43,300
points in different aspects. 
One of them mean George Gray 

737
00:39:43,300 --> 00:39:45,800
ago. 
Who is a partner of mine right 

738
00:39:45,800 --> 00:39:49,100
now, for the nonprofit's, he 
started the nonprofit's. 

739
00:39:49,100 --> 00:39:53,100
I will progress which partnered 
with Access Project and now I'm 

740
00:39:53,100 --> 00:39:55,400
here with the seated position 
and Access Project. 

741
00:39:55,400 --> 00:39:58,900
So we and he partnered me from 
the very beginning when I was in

742
00:39:58,900 --> 00:40:02,600
Biology class in nursing Before 
nursing school being, this 

743
00:40:02,600 --> 00:40:04,300
realtor, New York, how to be 
poised. 

744
00:40:04,300 --> 00:40:08,600
How to how to like, really give 
you those hard-hitting questions

745
00:40:08,700 --> 00:40:12,400
and get the answers that you 
need and he kind of navigated my

746
00:40:12,400 --> 00:40:15,500
world and disability. 
Then I have like Tiffany Gibson 

747
00:40:15,500 --> 00:40:17,900
who's a part of new nurse 
academy, Shameless, plug for 

748
00:40:17,900 --> 00:40:19,000
her. 
She's amazing. 

749
00:40:19,300 --> 00:40:21,900
She was the one that told me 
about that EEOC statement, she 

750
00:40:21,900 --> 00:40:24,300
was the one that told me how to 
be a leader in nursing. 

751
00:40:24,300 --> 00:40:27,200
She was the one that taught me 
about emotional intelligence, 

752
00:40:27,400 --> 00:40:30,200
and disconnecting, my feelings 
about my disability. 

753
00:40:30,200 --> 00:40:32,700
And what, Someone is saying and 
trying to take what they're 

754
00:40:32,700 --> 00:40:35,400
saying and feed them back to 
education, that they know. 

755
00:40:36,400 --> 00:40:38,400
Yeah. 
Right, you know, all of this, 

756
00:40:38,400 --> 00:40:40,800
you know, how to treat people, 
you know, how to care for 

757
00:40:40,800 --> 00:40:42,800
people. 
How are you caring for someone 

758
00:40:42,800 --> 00:40:45,000
with a disability? 
And then, is that person coming 

759
00:40:45,000 --> 00:40:48,000
back and asking for a job in 3 
years because of your care, how 

760
00:40:48,000 --> 00:40:49,700
do you, how do you navigate that
space? 

761
00:40:49,700 --> 00:40:53,000
So to give some did that for me?
And then now, like, Katie Duke 

762
00:40:53,000 --> 00:40:55,500
is another one. 
A, when I was so adamant about 

763
00:40:55,500 --> 00:40:58,500
the hospital setting and going 
through the interview process, 

764
00:40:58,600 --> 00:41:01,600
Katie was the one that was like,
f the hospital, You don't need 

765
00:41:01,600 --> 00:41:04,200
that. 
You can go anywhere like you can

766
00:41:04,200 --> 00:41:06,300
do anything. 
Like we know that nurses are 

767
00:41:06,300 --> 00:41:09,200
saying that you have to be in 
med-surg she was like you don't 

768
00:41:09,200 --> 00:41:11,300
need to do that. 
You could do anything, we can 

769
00:41:11,300 --> 00:41:16,500
figure it out and you know, so 
and a multitude of other mentors

770
00:41:16,500 --> 00:41:20,200
that I am not mentioning, but I 
have definitely come into Mo 

771
00:41:20,200 --> 00:41:23,300
know there's one that I have to 
mention dr. 

772
00:41:23,300 --> 00:41:29,000
Gloria Ramsey. 
She is a wheelchair user who is 

773
00:41:29,000 --> 00:41:33,100
a nurse who probably graduated 
in the I think she graduated in 

774
00:41:33,100 --> 00:41:37,500
1980s or late 1970s, I speak 
very highly of her because of 

775
00:41:37,508 --> 00:41:41,500
the fact that she may actually, 
I may have found the first 

776
00:41:41,900 --> 00:41:44,600
African American woman with a 
disability. 

777
00:41:44,600 --> 00:41:47,400
She to go through nursing school
and to become a nurse and now 

778
00:41:47,400 --> 00:41:53,500
j.d., So it's a lawyer. 
Yeah, Johns Hopkins and in 

779
00:41:53,500 --> 00:41:57,200
England. 
And I believe she just retired 

780
00:41:57,200 --> 00:42:00,000
or she just finished. 
But I met her like three years 

781
00:42:00,000 --> 00:42:04,500
ago. 
And she has been the epitome of 

782
00:42:04,500 --> 00:42:09,600
mentors, simply simply because I
never saw another 

783
00:42:09,600 --> 00:42:15,300
African-American female nurse 
that uses a wheelchair that went

784
00:42:15,300 --> 00:42:18,200
through the clinical process 
that has made a name. 

785
00:42:18,400 --> 00:42:20,900
I'm for themselves and here, I 
was thinking, I'm clearing a 

786
00:42:20,900 --> 00:42:24,500
path and I don't know how to 
navigate this this path. 

787
00:42:24,500 --> 00:42:26,700
No one else knows how to 
navigate this path for me. 

788
00:42:26,800 --> 00:42:29,100
And I found someone that's 
already navigated to the point 

789
00:42:29,100 --> 00:42:32,200
where she now knows the laws 
behind it. 

790
00:42:33,200 --> 00:42:35,600
So what did she teach you? 
I want to know like what was 

791
00:42:35,600 --> 00:42:38,600
then a nugget that you've been 
holding on from conversations in

792
00:42:38,600 --> 00:42:41,600
time with her. 
So she's an education and I just

793
00:42:41,600 --> 00:42:46,400
finished my masters in nursing 
education so the phonon congrats

794
00:42:46,400 --> 00:42:47,300
right. 
Thank you. 

795
00:42:47,300 --> 00:42:49,800
And, and you know what? 
She's always told me. 

796
00:42:49,800 --> 00:42:52,100
She's like, and it's something 
that I've already said is like, 

797
00:42:52,100 --> 00:42:54,000
if you can't beat them, you join
them. 

798
00:42:54,500 --> 00:42:58,400
I can't be all of these nurses 
who are gatekeeping and thinking

799
00:42:58,400 --> 00:43:02,300
that this ability is the end all
be, all right, I can't. 

800
00:43:02,500 --> 00:43:05,100
I can't beat that and they're 
already had this mindset there 

801
00:43:05,100 --> 00:43:08,700
and they're cno's there. 
The corporate there, they're 

802
00:43:08,700 --> 00:43:12,500
everywhere. 
What I can do though, is create 

803
00:43:12,500 --> 00:43:15,900
the path for someone else to 
pick up and keep speaking on it.

804
00:43:15,900 --> 00:43:18,400
She's been dealing with this 
since the early 1980s, I'm 

805
00:43:18,400 --> 00:43:20,800
dealing with this now and in 
2022. 

806
00:43:20,800 --> 00:43:24,700
That's a big problem for to be 
over 40 years of the same issues

807
00:43:24,700 --> 00:43:27,400
happening. 
But her words to me were to keep

808
00:43:27,400 --> 00:43:30,400
continuing educating. 
Because education is what 

809
00:43:30,400 --> 00:43:32,900
changes the way things. 
R. 

810
00:43:34,700 --> 00:43:37,600
And I never once done, I never 
you done with your masks. 

811
00:43:37,600 --> 00:43:39,200
Are you done after the Masters 
and where you going? 

812
00:43:39,200 --> 00:43:43,400
Yeah, I'm going for that. 
Okay, so right now I am actually

813
00:43:43,400 --> 00:43:46,200
considering my NP instead of 
doing my dnp just because I have

814
00:43:46,200 --> 00:43:48,700
to Fast Track. 
Some things I would like to do 

815
00:43:49,000 --> 00:43:53,300
with my nonprofit, it's a huge 
issue for people with 

816
00:43:53,300 --> 00:43:56,900
disabilities to have primary 
care and I feel like NPS can 

817
00:43:56,900 --> 00:44:00,500
fill that Gap and really do 
Focus based assessments for 

818
00:44:00,500 --> 00:44:02,900
these individuals that can 
actually get them the resources 

819
00:44:02,900 --> 00:44:06,200
and the care that they need. 
So the only the only way for me 

820
00:44:06,207 --> 00:44:09,100
to do that is to get into n Pi 
already finished my master so 

821
00:44:09,100 --> 00:44:13,700
it's a year extra to do my 
clinical side and Gloria wants 

822
00:44:13,700 --> 00:44:16,700
me to create a completely 
different focused assessment, 

823
00:44:16,700 --> 00:44:19,600
particularly those who have 
spinal cord injury and illness 

824
00:44:20,900 --> 00:44:22,800
is incredible. 
Yeah, very cool. 

825
00:44:22,800 --> 00:44:24,500
So you are going to do what she 
told you. 

826
00:44:24,500 --> 00:44:27,600
I keep getting education as I 
said it's a that's what it's 

827
00:44:27,600 --> 00:44:30,400
going to take to change. 
Maybe when I'm her age and I've 

828
00:44:30,400 --> 00:44:33,100
created this Focus assessment 
and now people are coming in the

829
00:44:33,100 --> 00:44:36,400
ER with No cord injury and 
illness or they're in the ICU, 

830
00:44:36,800 --> 00:44:39,500
there's a different type of 
assessment that then gets passed

831
00:44:39,500 --> 00:44:43,500
on to their Primary Care team. 
That knows what their Baseline 

832
00:44:43,500 --> 00:44:47,300
was in the ICU that will then 
follow them throughout their 

833
00:44:47,300 --> 00:44:51,200
life and then figure out what 
aging with a disability looks 

834
00:44:51,200 --> 00:44:53,400
like. 
So we can stop the stereotypical

835
00:44:53,400 --> 00:44:56,000
narrative that everyone with a 
disability is equal to a death 

836
00:44:56,000 --> 00:45:02,700
sentence. 
You have a unique purpose, that,

837
00:45:02,700 --> 00:45:05,800
you know, and I feel like you 
keep discovering what your 

838
00:45:05,800 --> 00:45:07,500
purpose is. 
Like, you find one of them like 

839
00:45:07,500 --> 00:45:08,900
she's done. 
She'd, that's it. 

840
00:45:08,900 --> 00:45:14,300
She did her. 
You're like, no, no, it's just 

841
00:45:20,600 --> 00:45:23,700
so good for the soul. 
What you're doing is good for 

842
00:45:23,700 --> 00:45:27,300
the soul, because it allows you 
to be hungry for life. 

843
00:45:27,300 --> 00:45:30,400
It gives you a sense. 
For what's next? 

844
00:45:30,400 --> 00:45:32,700
And what I'm tired, guys. 
I'm tired. 

845
00:45:33,600 --> 00:45:36,700
I need any help. 
I need all the Allies. 

846
00:45:36,700 --> 00:45:42,300
I could get a whole time if you 
could go back and talk to Andrea

847
00:45:42,700 --> 00:45:44,400
on that first day of nursing 
school. 

848
00:45:45,600 --> 00:45:49,400
She's rolling up first day and 
you could tell her something 

849
00:45:50,200 --> 00:45:53,000
that you would have liked to 
have known from the beginning. 

850
00:45:53,700 --> 00:45:56,600
And something that you would 
tell her toss it, don't listen 

851
00:45:56,600 --> 00:45:58,400
to this. 
This is garbage, okay? 

852
00:45:58,600 --> 00:46:00,400
Yeah. 
What would you go back and tell 

853
00:46:00,400 --> 00:46:02,300
her if you could given 
everything that you've gone 

854
00:46:02,300 --> 00:46:04,700
through? 
Well, I didn't know it at the 

855
00:46:04,700 --> 00:46:07,000
time and you guys just heard me 
say it and it's something that 

856
00:46:07,000 --> 00:46:10,400
I've lived by. 
Now it's listen to your own. 

857
00:46:10,400 --> 00:46:16,900
Yes there's a million knows but 
your yes is the most important. 

858
00:46:17,700 --> 00:46:21,600
So if you believe it for 
yourself let no no deter you 

859
00:46:23,700 --> 00:46:25,200
Wow. 
So that would be one thing to 

860
00:46:25,207 --> 00:46:25,800
hold. 
Onto. 

861
00:46:25,800 --> 00:46:28,500
What about a thing to toss? 
Or because you're kind of 

862
00:46:28,500 --> 00:46:30,200
tossed. 
The nose and keep adding key 

863
00:46:30,200 --> 00:46:33,700
because you're my yes, but it's 
always going to be my yes. 

864
00:46:33,700 --> 00:46:35,500
Right? 
So like so long. 

865
00:46:35,500 --> 00:46:40,300
As you believe in your own 
ability you have to believe in 

866
00:46:40,300 --> 00:46:43,900
yourself and people's. 
It's very cliche to say but you 

867
00:46:43,900 --> 00:46:46,400
really have to believe in your 
own ability. 

868
00:46:46,700 --> 00:46:50,500
So for someone like me, who has 
a spinal cord injury, who uses a

869
00:46:50,508 --> 00:46:53,300
wheelchair everyday? 
I'm navigating my space. 

870
00:46:53,800 --> 00:46:55,800
And I have to think 30 steps 
ahead. 

871
00:46:56,200 --> 00:46:59,100
There's a stuck to the bathroom 
if I slip, is there something 

872
00:46:59,100 --> 00:47:01,300
next to me that I be able to get
back on my chair. 

873
00:47:01,500 --> 00:47:03,400
Okay. 
Is the handle down is my chair 

874
00:47:03,400 --> 00:47:05,900
seat there? 
If I'm getting in my car, do I 

875
00:47:05,900 --> 00:47:08,300
have all of everything that I 
need, because I can't just roll 

876
00:47:08,300 --> 00:47:10,500
back into or run back into the 
house, right? 

877
00:47:10,500 --> 00:47:14,600
Like there's always a process 
and there's always going to be a

878
00:47:14,607 --> 00:47:17,300
process. 
So yes, those are my daily 

879
00:47:17,400 --> 00:47:19,900
processes now. 
When I'm facing the world, 

880
00:47:20,000 --> 00:47:21,400
there's always going to be 
obstacles. 

881
00:47:21,400 --> 00:47:24,400
Whether there's crossing the 
street and there's No curb cut, 

882
00:47:24,400 --> 00:47:27,200
whether I'm going to interview 
and it's not wheelchair 

883
00:47:27,200 --> 00:47:31,000
accessible. 
Whether I am trying to teach a 

884
00:47:31,008 --> 00:47:33,800
class and no one is 
understanding directly what I'm 

885
00:47:33,800 --> 00:47:37,400
talking about because disability
doesn't relate to them, right? 

886
00:47:37,400 --> 00:47:41,100
The most they've had disability 
relations to is to a grandparent

887
00:47:41,200 --> 00:47:46,200
so there's always something to 
navigate but as long as I am 

888
00:47:46,200 --> 00:47:50,900
okay with saying I can do it and
navigate the inaccessibility, 

889
00:47:50,900 --> 00:47:56,800
navigate the bias navigate. 
The pathway that I want then yes

890
00:47:56,800 --> 00:47:59,600
I'm going to do it and if I 
don't want to then it's mine own

891
00:47:59,600 --> 00:48:04,400
I can see no well said I'm sure 
this has been so much fun and 

892
00:48:04,400 --> 00:48:07,400
the last part of the interview I
go through Rapid Fire, right? 

893
00:48:07,400 --> 00:48:09,800
So I just hit him hard, super 
fast. 

894
00:48:09,900 --> 00:48:12,800
Are you ready? 
Let's go name. 

895
00:48:12,900 --> 00:48:14,900
I feel like you've told me this.
Okay, we're gonna go here. 

896
00:48:15,100 --> 00:48:17,300
What age is the best age to be 
to you? 

897
00:48:17,900 --> 00:48:22,700
Who 3030? 
They're gonna say they're 30 30,

898
00:48:23,700 --> 00:48:26,600
Because you've partied you. 
You understand party life. 

899
00:48:26,800 --> 00:48:29,700
Now you understand adulthood and
this is the shift where you 

900
00:48:29,700 --> 00:48:31,900
literally get to make or break 
the rest of your life. 

901
00:48:32,100 --> 00:48:34,500
You get to decide, okay? 
I'm going to have kids, I'm 

902
00:48:34,500 --> 00:48:37,200
going to settle down. 
I'm going to work until I'm 55. 

903
00:48:37,200 --> 00:48:39,500
You get to now make this plan of
action 20s. 

904
00:48:39,500 --> 00:48:43,000
You've already discarded, you 
went to school, gave some time 

905
00:48:43,000 --> 00:48:47,300
up part of your life away 30 you
get to literally change your 

906
00:48:47,300 --> 00:48:51,000
entire trajectory you can change
it whatever you want but 30 

907
00:48:51,500 --> 00:48:53,300
you're not partying until 3:00 
in the morning. 

908
00:48:53,500 --> 00:48:55,100
Anymore. 
You can't force. 

909
00:48:55,100 --> 00:49:01,100
Our hangovers are way worse now.
So tell me what's your favorite 

910
00:49:01,100 --> 00:49:05,200
holiday Christmas? 
Everybody tells me Christmas. 

911
00:49:05,200 --> 00:49:08,500
I am so into July 4th. 
So like I feel like I'm waiting 

912
00:49:08,500 --> 00:49:11,000
for someone to be like July 4th 
of okay you know what? 

913
00:49:11,600 --> 00:49:14,200
Alright alright alright Chinese 
New Year in China. 

914
00:49:15,500 --> 00:49:18,400
Oh you went to tribe, never been
to China but I watch their 

915
00:49:18,400 --> 00:49:21,300
Chinese New Year on like YouTube
It's lit. 

916
00:49:21,400 --> 00:49:23,900
Its lit. 
Like their fireworks are nothing

917
00:49:23,900 --> 00:49:34,600
like our gelato I don't know I 
love Christmas because I love to

918
00:49:34,600 --> 00:49:37,100
give gifts. 
I am a giver it is the way I 

919
00:49:37,100 --> 00:49:41,700
show my love language to someone
like so yeah Christmas is my I 

920
00:49:41,700 --> 00:49:43,100
need to see everybody's face 
light up. 

921
00:49:43,100 --> 00:49:45,100
I don't even care about my gifts
like yeah. 

922
00:49:45,800 --> 00:49:48,900
Okay, so I feel like this 
question, I'm very interested to

923
00:49:48,900 --> 00:49:51,400
hear. 
What are you most grateful for 

924
00:49:51,700 --> 00:49:56,600
in the whole wide world? 
My mom I know that. 

925
00:49:56,600 --> 00:49:59,100
Oh my God, little heart brain 
know. 

926
00:49:59,300 --> 00:50:03,100
Okay, so what's my parents? 
But my mom, particularly because

927
00:50:03,400 --> 00:50:06,600
my mom is from Donna. 
So, she came up here from 

928
00:50:06,600 --> 00:50:09,700
Minnesota, my dad requested for 
her to come up, and they got 

929
00:50:09,700 --> 00:50:14,100
married, and when they got 
married a year later, they had 

930
00:50:14,100 --> 00:50:15,400
me. 
And then five years later on. 

931
00:50:15,600 --> 00:50:17,700
The diagnosis that they've never
heard of. 

932
00:50:17,700 --> 00:50:20,100
They've never dealt with no one 
in my family, has any type of 

933
00:50:20,100 --> 00:50:23,500
physical disability and here my 
mom is trying. 

934
00:50:23,500 --> 00:50:27,000
She was the breadwinner of the 
household at the time and he or 

935
00:50:27,000 --> 00:50:32,800
she is struggling to maintain 
that working mom status in an 

936
00:50:32,800 --> 00:50:36,700
interior design firm while her 
child is going through major 

937
00:50:37,100 --> 00:50:41,000
surgeries and rehabs and 
sicknesses and hospitalizations 

938
00:50:41,000 --> 00:50:44,700
and all of the above and she 
juggled it all with two other 

939
00:50:44,700 --> 00:50:46,800
three. 
There's three Us total and she 

940
00:50:46,800 --> 00:50:51,900
juggled it all my entire life. 
I have watched her fight tooth 

941
00:50:51,900 --> 00:50:54,600
and nail for the thing with my 
insurance to get in things that 

942
00:50:54,600 --> 00:50:58,500
I've needed. 
I've watched her cry when she 

943
00:50:58,500 --> 00:51:01,800
thought, I didn't see her going 
crying, over things that I have 

944
00:51:01,800 --> 00:51:05,900
been through and just, you know,
she's at she's Faith. 

945
00:51:05,900 --> 00:51:09,500
That's it, that's Mom give it to
her, she's the oh, gee, that's 

946
00:51:09,500 --> 00:51:11,100
it. 
Oh my goodness, there's no me 

947
00:51:11,100 --> 00:51:13,400
without her. 
This personality is all mom. 

948
00:51:13,400 --> 00:51:16,600
This this tenacity is all mom. 
This is going to set a pick 

949
00:51:16,600 --> 00:51:18,600
this. 
Yes, this is from Mama. 

950
00:51:18,600 --> 00:51:20,800
This is from the Latina mama in 
the day. 

951
00:51:22,300 --> 00:51:26,000
So I have a Latina mama. 
She will tell me on any day I 

952
00:51:26,000 --> 00:51:27,400
can do. 
So I can't do its thing. 

953
00:51:27,600 --> 00:51:28,700
What do you mean? 
You can't do it? 

954
00:51:28,700 --> 00:51:30,500
What does that mean? 
I don't understand. 

955
00:51:30,500 --> 00:51:34,500
I never tried. 
You have never raised you with 

956
00:51:34,500 --> 00:51:36,900
that word. 
Did you try? 

957
00:51:46,600 --> 00:51:52,700
Yeah, she's gotta face the fear 
conqueror like, you know, for 

958
00:51:52,700 --> 00:51:55,200
all the fear it's not really 
fear, right? 

959
00:51:55,200 --> 00:51:57,900
It's just the absence of courage
and we just have to find that 

960
00:51:57,900 --> 00:52:00,900
part in my parents being 
immigrants in our country for 

961
00:52:00,900 --> 00:52:04,300
the first time and having a 
child with the with a disability

962
00:52:04,300 --> 00:52:07,100
and having them navigate A 
system that they're not even 

963
00:52:07,100 --> 00:52:12,300
really clear about, you know? 
Yeah, that's powerhouses to 

964
00:52:12,300 --> 00:52:13,700
them. 
I give them all the Kudos. 

965
00:52:13,700 --> 00:52:15,400
It's to my parents and I thank 
them daily. 

966
00:52:15,600 --> 00:52:18,400
For making me the rebel that I 
am today. 

967
00:52:18,400 --> 00:52:20,500
I had to fight them tooth and 
nail to be the person that I am 

968
00:52:20,500 --> 00:52:22,500
too, because they were so 
protective of me, right? 

969
00:52:22,500 --> 00:52:25,000
Like think about your parents. 
Your parents are no gonna be 

970
00:52:25,000 --> 00:52:26,800
super protective. 
They don't want you to get hurt.

971
00:52:26,800 --> 00:52:29,800
They don't want people to hurt 
you, and but you got to kind of 

972
00:52:29,800 --> 00:52:31,900
find that voice and I used to 
tell my mom all the time but you

973
00:52:31,900 --> 00:52:33,200
can do it. 
Why can't I? 

974
00:52:33,900 --> 00:52:36,500
Yeah it's she's like oh God. 
I read that. 

975
00:52:36,500 --> 00:52:38,500
That's what I did. 
I mean I'm a mom now, right? 

976
00:52:38,500 --> 00:52:41,400
So like what my son does 
something, I'm like I can't be 

977
00:52:41,400 --> 00:52:45,200
mad because I would have done 
the same thing, right? 

978
00:52:49,000 --> 00:52:52,400
I just think you're great. 
I really do have a huge fan and 

979
00:52:52,800 --> 00:52:56,200
thank you for coming on to the 
podcast today and sharing your 

980
00:52:56,200 --> 00:52:58,500
journey with me. 
And I feel like we're kindred 

981
00:52:58,500 --> 00:53:00,700
spirit. 
We are partly because we're both

982
00:53:00,700 --> 00:53:04,300
Latina your curly hair and I 
just think your whole energy and

983
00:53:04,300 --> 00:53:07,500
your Vibe. 
So thank you for coming on and 

984
00:53:07,500 --> 00:53:09,100
talking with my audience. 
Yes. 

985
00:53:09,100 --> 00:53:12,200
Thank you. 
So so much for having me, guys. 

986
00:53:12,300 --> 00:53:13,900
Thank you for having me, 
listening. 

987
00:53:14,500 --> 00:53:16,100
Yes. 
And I'm going to All your stuff 

988
00:53:16,100 --> 00:53:18,200
in the show notes so they can 
find you if they're interested 

989
00:53:18,200 --> 00:53:21,200
your website Instagram. 
I'll put you everywhere and 

990
00:53:21,200 --> 00:53:23,000
yeah, so that they could check 
you out because you are 

991
00:53:23,000 --> 00:53:27,300
definitely worth checking out. 
And yes, all right, thanks for 

992
00:53:27,300 --> 00:53:30,000
coming on. 
Yes, and don't forget to enjoy 

993
00:53:30,000 --> 00:53:37,900
the journey. 
Gee mom back. 

994
00:53:40,800 --> 00:53:43,700
So that's a wrap. 
Be sure to subscribe to the show

995
00:53:43,700 --> 00:53:46,600
so you don't miss an episode and
leave me a review. 

996
00:53:46,600 --> 00:53:49,500
If you like the show, I would 
love to get 5 stars. 

997
00:53:49,500 --> 00:53:53,000
The doctors podcast is on the 
world wide web, YouTube 

998
00:53:53,000 --> 00:53:57,300
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, 
patreon, and Tick-Tock subscribe

999
00:53:57,300 --> 00:54:01,500
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new podcast episodes and other 

1000
00:54:01,500 --> 00:54:04,200
information to help you on your 
own nursing Journey. 

1001
00:54:04,200 --> 00:54:07,000
You can always message me at the
doctor nurse podcast at 

1002
00:54:07,000 --> 00:54:09,600
gmail.com with any career 
professions that you're 

1003
00:54:09,600 --> 00:54:12,200
interested in hearing about and 
just a friendly. 

1004
00:54:12,200 --> 00:54:15,600
Reminder, the information on 
this podcast is for educational 

1005
00:54:15,600 --> 00:54:18,500
purposes only and the 
information should not be used 

1006
00:54:18,500 --> 00:54:21,700
in substitute for Professional 
Care by a medical provider. 

1007
00:54:22,000 --> 00:54:25,500
The information in this podcast 
does not represent medical or 

1008
00:54:25,500 --> 00:54:27,400
professional advice or services.