CNF Award

Looking back, my journey towards nursing began in the fall of 2016, when I noticed a subtle change in my father’s gait. While the medical model was focused on reducing my father to a diagnosis, I watched the person that had taught me how to ride a bike struggle with a complete loss of mobility and, most importantly, a loss of personhood. For the next four years of my life, I became a live-in caregiver to my father, while also completing a MSc in Pathology. Throughout this time, I learned about resilience, hopelessness, compassion, and how to care for someone when they are at their most vulnerable. Ultimately, these experiences led me to pursue a career in nursing, with a focus on providing compassionate care based on sound research.  Currently enrolled as a third-year nursing student in the accelerated program at Western University, I am developing my personal philosophy of practice in clinical placement – to understand individuals on an emotional, physical, spiritual, cultural, and scientific level. While also continuing to advocate and support those with brain injury, running a local community support group that I founded, and working as a neurorehabilitation researcher to improve the rehabilitation system through research synthesis, guideline development, knowledge translation, education, and outreach, under Dr. Robert Teasell at Parkwood Institute.