“I have decided that I want to be a pediatric nurse.”

Ever since I was a baby, I have lived my life as a kid with allergies. Allergies have controlled my entire life, especially my dietary choices. Since I was little, I always had people looking out for me by watching what I was putting in my mouth. Since I have food allergies, I have grown up to be cautious and willing to take on that responsibility.

My family first discovered I had food allergies when I was eight months old, so I have been seeing a special doctor my entire life. Both my doctor and the Advanced Practitioner (nurse) have made sure that I have been kept safe from anything I was allergic to. I haven’t seen the doctor in a while, but I see her at almost every visit. Through seeing her, I realized that what I want to be when I get out of college is a nurse, able to help those who will grow up like I did, with various allergies that could kill them if they come into contact. I have always wanted to help others, so this is a perfect line of work for me.

When I was very young, I was allergic to eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, soy, and white potatoes. Now, that list has decreased dramatically. At the age of three, I was allowed to consume foods that contain soy and white potatoes. Just shy of my 17th birthday, I was given the opportunity to try almonds, which I took, and now, they get to be a regular staple of my monthly food intake for the rest of my life.

In just over a year and a half, I spent 300 hours volunteering in a local Summa Health hospital, stationed in 3 different places throughout the hospital. I spent a summer helping out the Breast and Imaging Center by checking in patients. I spent two falls and a spring helping families find patients, giving directions to locations, and even leading people to the correct room. I spent another summer working at a secretary’s desk/nurse’s station in the Neurology unit, where I got some patient care experience.

Before the coronavirus, I would have spent the fall of 2020 and maybe the spring of 2021 volunteering at the local children’s hospital since I had to wait until I turned 17. There, I could have the opportunity to shadow her for a day to see what she does and dip my feet into the water. Because of her, I have decided that I want to be a pediatric nurse. I want to be able to help those that grow up like I have. It is my goal to help them feel comfortable dealing with their allergies and try to live as normal of a life that they can live.

- Madeline B.