Award Recipient

Gitane Ouellet

TD Aboriginal Nursing Fund Award

My dream of becoming a nurse came to be over ten years ago after the difficult birth of my first child who suffered a massive brain hemorrhage.  After my second child was born, I became sick with Myalgic encephalomyelitis.  With never-ending support from my parents, I found my footing and slowly started regaining my health.   I was itching to start on my journey to be a nurse, but the obstacles kept piling up.  I wasn’t sure how I was going to support my kids.  I was still experiencing physical flare-ups.  My brain was foggy most of the time.  Could I even pass?  I had not forgotten the deep impact that certain health professionals had on me, and there was no doubt in my mind that I would one day have the same impact on others. To me, education was a precious commodity and a privilege.

Receiving a Nursing diploma was a huge accomplishment for me.  I had the opportunity to work as a graduate nurse in acute care, surgery, emergency, obstetrics and rehabilitation in a rural hospital. Nursing is every bit as rewarding and challenging as I had hoped it would be.

I am infinitely grateful to CNF donors for the financial support that has allowed me to fulfill my vision not only of impacting people’s lives but also of moving the profession of Nursing forward.  I truly believe that through creative innovation, nurses hold the power to change the face of health care.

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