Editor’s Note
We asked our IntelyPros why they chose nursing and were humbled and inspired with what they had to say. We’re proud to share their stories with the broader nursing industry. The following is from Rosalie Infante, RN-BSN and IntelyPro.
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My “Why” is long and tedious but I will do my best to make it short and sweet.
In 1993, I suddenly found myself a young, single parent with no prospects of raising my daughter in a healthy manner. My ex-husband was abusive and refused to help care for his daughter. I worked 3 jobs and could barely put food on the table and to this day, my daughter will not eat hotdogs. Hahaha! We waited for the court system to force her “father” to help pay for some of her expenses.
I worked hard, didn’t ever get enough sleep and did my best to care for her and myself, and I was told that I made too much money to qualify for assistance. Anyhow, she became very sick and needed medical attention, and I simply did not have the money for medication. I got angry, and I mean really angry. I was frustrated and decided that there had to be a better way. I sought counseling to help me cope and figure out what some of my options were. It was clear that I needed help. I met a doctor from Italy that did volunteer work for women in crisis who was instrumental in helping me see that there was a way that I could care for my child and that I could do and be anything if I applied myself. Since I struggled with medical care for my daughter, I decided that I would strive to become a nurse. It took 10 years of hard work and I started working as a nurse assistant, then a certified nurse assistant, then a Student RN assistant and then finally an RN-BSN of which I couldn’t believe I truly achieved.
As I climbed this giant summit, I never looked back. My daughter’s medical needs were well managed and now I am proud to say that she is a college graduate as well. She is married to a lovely young man with two kids of her own.
I was always viewed as “the black sheep” of my family and I never understood why but I must tell you a couple of things. I was the very first person in my family to break free from an abusive relationship. My mom always broke free only to find herself in yet another abusive relationship (6 husbands and countless boyfriends). When she died without a partner that cared for her, I stayed with her for months during her illness until she died. I am proud and grateful that I had the opportunity to care for her in the end. She was there for me when I took my first breath, and I was there when she took her last. There is something about having that opportunity that I can’t describe.
My mother gave me life and while I never understood her behavior, I always gave thanks for her. On my birthday I would send her a lovely orchid. Over the years, she had an enormous orchid garden that the flower society in Florida wanted after she died. I obliged and gave it to them as I couldn’t see myself trying to transport these orchids across the country to Pennsylvania. I broke the mold in my family for a generation of kids, I was the very first to graduate from college and a Bachelor’s degree at that! I have since remarried to the most wonderful husband and father to our little girl. I have never looked back.
MY WHY? Because I wanted to be something more than nothing. Some will say that they love caring for people and I do. I look at each one of my patients, residents, and community as if they were my mother, my grandmother, MY family because when I was younger, I never really had one that loved me or could care for me.
Sincerely,
Rosalie Infante, RN-BSN
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