After having her life turned 'upside down,' Wilmington woman finds her calling as a nurse

Ana White knows that life can change in an instant.

Originally from Argentina, White moved to Wilmington in 1993 and found a job working with computers. She made the decision to pursue a bachelor’s degree in computer science from the University of North Carolina Wilmington. She graduated in 1999 and married soon after. White said it was a good time in her life.

“I was like, ‘Yay! I have everything,’” she recalled.

Then she noticed what she called “a small bump” on her breast and visited her doctor. Initially, her physician thought it was nothing to worry but conducted additional testing to be sure. The tests revealed it was an aggressive form of breast cancer. White said the news was a shock.

“I remember having a nice job in computer science, getting married, celebrating everything, and then a few months later, everything was upside down,” she said. “I remember praying, ‘At least let me enjoy the love of my life.”

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It was a scary time, but White found comfort in her nurses and healthcare team. The day she received her diagnosis, one nurse, Angela, gave her a card and urged her to call anytime if she had questions or concerns.

Chemotherapy was challenging, but White kept a positive attitude as she went through the treatments.

“I remember having chemo, I called the nurse ‘bartender,’” she explained. “And I’d say, ‘Bartender, another round.’”

White said every person she encountered “was amazing,” and the treatments proved successful. When White’s cancer was in remission, she reassessed her life.

“I thought, well, I’ve made it through, now I’ve got to do something to give back,” she explained.

She felt the best way to do that was to do enter healthcare. White earned her nursing assistant certification and worked as a CNA for seven years before returning to UNCW for nursing. She graduated with a bachelor of science in nursing in 2019 and now works as an assistant nurse manager at Novant Health New Hanover Regional Medical Center.

Whether it’s educating people on their conditions, providing care during their hospital stay, or connecting with Spanish-speaking patients to ensure they don’t feel isolated, White loves helping people.

“When somebody smiles, and says, ‘Are you going to be here tomorrow,’ or when a patient stops and says, ‘I just want to give you a hug and say thank you’—those things fill you, and it’s like, that’s what I’m here for,” she said.

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Wilmington, NC, woman finds her calling as a nurse after cancer