Woman who lost both parents as teen shares inspiring journey to become a nurse
BRONXVILLE (WABC) -- A young woman shares her inspiring story and is helping others after suffering so much heartache in her own life.
Her dad died from a terminal illness and then her mother, a nurse on the front lines during the pandemic, died from COVID four years ago.
Now she is following in her mother's footsteps and getting ready to graduate from nursing school.
She is a model of perseverance and dedication.
Molly Guillaume will graduate this spring from New York Presbyterian Iona School of Health Services with a degree in nursing.
"Grateful for everything that I've gone through and how it's got me to this point," Guillaume said.
She has gone through a lot, entering high school at the age of 14, multiple strokes and dementia took her father's life.
Four years later, her mother who worked as a nurse during the pandemic, contracted COVID and died.
"I couldn't sleep for two weeks straight after my Mom passed. I couldn't sleep. I would sleep with the lights on because I was like, what's going on here?" Guillaume said.
As an orphan at the age of 18 with no siblings to lean on, Guillaume decided to follow in her mother's footsteps and care for others.
Her teachers say her care filled with empathy and compassion curated by the tragic circumstances of her young life will make her a first-class nurse.
"She is driven and motivated and she's also an advocate and an advocate for herself and for her patients. And you can't really teach that. You just have to have it in you," Shery Watson Director of Nursing said.
"My Mom always told me to go out there and become somebody, whether I become an architect or a gardener but to become somebody of purpose," Guillaume said.
She credits her dad for her strong will and confidence.
Guillaume said her parents will have a front-row seat to the end of an educational journey they set in motion 22 years ago.
* Get Eyewitness News Delivered
* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts
Submit a tip or story idea to Eyewitness News
Have a breaking news tip or an idea for a story we should cover? Send it to Eyewitness News using the form below. If attaching a video or photo, terms of use apply.