08/25/2026
Itās been a LONG time since Iāve sewn a nursing school patch onto a pair of scrubs.Thirty years, to be exact. š³
And today, Iām sewing one onto my son Lukasās.
Lukas is taking a bit of a nontraditional route to get where heās going, but honestly? We couldnāt be more proud of him.
He already has a bachelorās degree in biology with a medical emphasis. His original plan was PA school, but after doing a whole lot of research and soul-searching, he decided that becoming a Nurse Practitioner may fit what he ultimately wants to do even better.
So now heās picking up his RN while working in occupational medicine, with that bigger goal still in sight.
And let me tell youā¦nursing school is HARD. I was a good student when I went through it 30 years ago, but I can only wish I were as smart as this kid. š He has a brain that absolutely amazes me.
But what makes me even prouder than his intelligence is the person he is.
He is one of the kindest, most compassionate people I know. The kind of person who genuinely cares about people. And I think that is going to matter every bit as much as what he learns from a textbook.
I know there have been times when heās been hard on himself because he didnāt take the straight-line path to where he thought he was going.
But maybe it wasnāt a detour.
Maybe it was the route he was supposed to take.
Because somewhere along that ānot-so-directā path, he met his sweet bride. ā¤ļø He gained experiences and knowledge that are going to serve him well. And he figured out more about the kind of provider he wants to become.
Sometimes life doesn't take us where we planned to go. Sometimes it takes us somewhere better.
And then thereās the whole male nurse thingā¦
The male nurses I know are some of the absolute BEST. Maybe itās because theyāve had to put up with a little extra crap along the way. š Maybe surviving nursing school gives them a slightly twisted sense of humor and a very specific ability to laugh at the chaos.
Whatever it is, Iām here for it.
Kind. Smart. Compassionate. A little bit sarcastic. And willing to run toward the hard stuff when other people are running away.
Sounds like a pretty damn good nurse to me.
So here I am, 30 years later, sewing on another nursing school patch.
Only this time, it belongs to my kid.
And I couldn't be prouder. ā¤ļø
Go get āem, Lukas. Your mama believes in you. š©ŗā¤ļø