My mom went to the University of Utah for her bachelor's degree when I was nine years old. I remember the rough years that followed; the poor years where we couldn't afford to buy clothes or shoes even from Kmart. DI and hand me downs were our source.
As a kid we had to take her word for it that it would be worth it. She wasn't wrong. Life changed dramatically once she finished her schooling and was hired on at the VA. She was a charge nurse, head nurse and a nurse manager.
She finished her masters degree in June of 1994 (a week before I left of my mission) and has worked in the Dialysis unit since that time.
Because of her time at the VA, we, in our family, harbor special feelings toward our vets and the service they have provided this country, and how much they deserve as a result of that service. Because of her time in the Dialysis unit, I have greater mercy for patients not only on dialysis but in other life changing medical situations.
I've thought a lot about how life is what it is because of my mom's courage and gumption. She came to this country having lost her own mother, with nothing more than a suit case of clothes. She left her family, language, culture...everything to come to a completely new, unknown life! What a scary and daunting feeling that must have been for her, a young woman in her early 20s. (sorry, friends, but a mission is not even close to the same reality she faced) More than 40 years later, who would have known the legacy she would build!? The one she will continue to be able to build with her family.
Congratulations, Mom! I love you! We all look up to you! I know we are all so proud of you! We look forward to helping you with your new life.
My amazing family (minus my amazing sister who is in Spain):
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