“I am from Monclova, Coahuila, Mexico, and I came to the United States back in the 1980s. The first time I came to the United States was for my sister’s wedding. I often came to visit and went back and forth between Mexico and the United States. Then I was given the opportunity to become a full time resident and then got married. When I arrived in the United States, I didn’t know much English. I primarily spoke Spanish but took free ESL (English as a Second Language) classes at local churches and attended San Antonio College to improve my English skills. At first, we lived in San Antonio but moved to New Jersey and lived there for four years. Living in the northeast forced me to speak English regularly since there weren’t many Spanish speakers in the area. After living for 10 years in different places with my family, we moved back to San Antonio with our daughters. Then, I got divorced and had to figure out my life as a single parent.
Moving back was a new start for me. Not only was I a single parent, but I needed to re-enter the workforce at a different level to support my children. I always liked helping others and was interested in the medical field. I started looking into getting a CNA certification after one of my friends told me about that career. Shortly after I got my certification, I was hired at a nursing home and at the same time, I worked a second job as a home health provider. Next, I worked at North Central Baptist while applying to work at the VA. When I got hired at the VA, I was so happy! I started working at 2West, where our post-operative women stayed, then I worked at the Polytrauma Rehabilitation Center. Now, I am working at the Gynecology Clinic. This position is very special to me because I love being in this environment, helping and empowering vulnerable women.
During my time working at the VA, there was one patient encounter that stands out to me. Before our patients are seen by a physician, they get their vitals checked, and those values are uploaded into their chart. I was informed that this particular patient had an elevated blood pressure, so I went to talk to her to see how she was doing. She told me that she had some other symptoms in association to her high blood pressure, so I took her back to see one of our physicians and relayed the information. During the doctor’s assessment, there was a concern for a bigger issue than what she had come to the Gynecology Clinic for, so I was instructed to take her to the emergency dept. It was quite scary because I felt concerned for the patient and kept thinking “I hope she is ok.” Throughout the entire time, I stayed calm and gave her reassurance. After the patient was assessed at the ER, it turned out that she was admitted for TIA/Stroke. Thankfully, it was caught, and she was treated before it progressed to something worse.
A month later after that incident, I came into work just like any normal day except this time there was a large huddle of people in the hallway of our clinic. To my surprise, I was awarded a Director’s Coin for being proactive in helping this patient. Someone had told me that those coins were hard to get, so I understood how important that moment was. It was very nice to be shown appreciation for what I did! But to be honest, I was just doing my job. If we had not noticed and did not pay attention to what the patient’s symptoms were that day, we do not know what could have happened to her. I feel so thankful to have this opportunity to help our female military members. My plan is to continue to learn more in this position and gain more experience to better serve those around me, especially our veterans.”
Story: Marie Vu, Photograph: Marie Vu
