A lot of different reasons bring people to the field of nursing, but for Angela Ronquillo, RN, it was an accident that brought her back to her passion for her career. Ronquillo was already a nurse when an accident left her immobile for months, reports The Times-Picayune, and this accident brought Ronquillo to a place where she was able to discover her true calling.

Twelve years ago, Ronquillo suffered a debilitating back injury after a porch swing in which she was sitting broke. For months, Ronquillo could only move around her house using a wheelchair or crutches, and she could not return to work.

Her back injury was not her only hardship. The next couple of years included the death of her mother, divorce, and Hurricane Ivan, which destroyed her home. She began caring for her elderly father and eventually started to work at Ochsner Hospital-Elmwood in Harahan, LA, a rehabilitation center where she found she had a gift for comforting patients who had also lost a great deal, both physically and spiritually.

At first, Ronquillo drove through four states from her Pensacola, FL, home to reach her new job, but eventually she realized the job energized her so much, she moved closer.

Ranquillo has received much praise from patients, and she says the job helped change her perspective on her life.

“I stopped thinking about what I didn’t have, but what I did have,” she said.

Source: The Times-Picayune.

This story made me think about why one becomes, and stays, a nurse. What is it that makes you stay? Please share your thoughts on our comments section below.