Keeping the Legacy Alive
A year after JoAnne Palladino's mother became a nurse practitioner, she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and placed in hospice care. Seeing how the home health care aide interacted and cared for her mother inspired her to enter the medical field. When JoAnne's mother passed away, she was remembered fondly as a strong woman who led by example and taught her family the value of education.
When JoAnne arrived at the home health aide course, she sat in her car staring at the building and could not get out. "I heard my mother's voice in the back of my head,” JoAnne said. “Why are you going to pay to become a health home health aide when you can become a nurse and do so much more?" So Joanne completed nursing school and joined New York Cancer and Blood Specialists (NYCBS).
JoAnne worked as a nurse for over ten years, following doctors' orders and caring for patients as if they were family. But, eventually, she knew she wanted to add her own touch to patient care. "I have extreme empathy for the patients,” she said. “Both my mother and father died of cancer. So I know what it feels like being told the news and what the next steps are on what to do." So when she heard her mother's voice in the back of her head again, encouraging her to pursue more education, she finally decided to take advantage of the NYCBS tuition reimbursement program and became a Nurse Practitioner.
As a mother of three daughters, it was a challenge for JoAnne. She recalls being unable to attend sports and other events as she studied. Nevertheless, she did her best to find time to be an integral part of her children's lives. She explained what it was like to finish her schooling, "It took me ten years because I did it slowly at my own pace while raising a family."
JoAnne remembers feeling relieved at graduation with her family lined up in the small auditorium. She said, "It was very important at my graduation that my daughters were present so they could see how hard work pays off and what you can accomplish." After graduation, her youngest daughter approached her independently and asked if she could also become a nurse. "I was proud of her and a little scared for her because it's not an easy job,” JoAnne admitted. A few years later, JoAnne's daughter graduated from nursing school and is currently an NYCBS nurse in Riverhead.
"My mother's shoes are big ones to fill, but I know she'd be proud,” she said. “So I try to pass on her wisdom, lead by example and compassion, and keep her legacy alive." Together, JoAnne and her daughter certainly do.