With graduation quickly approaching, Adelphi University senior Jessica Lucero is ready to jump into the medical world and fulfill her dreams of being a pediatric nurse. The path of every nursing major is a tough one; however, the 22-year-old Massapequa resident faced a challenge during her college career most nursing students only learn about, but never personally encounter.
During the summer going into her college sophomore year, Lucero was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, a type of cancer where cells in the lymphatic system grow abnormally. As the cancer progresses, it compromises the body’s ability to fight infection. Hodgkin’s Lymphoma accounts for less than 1 percent of all cases of cancer and is more common among men than women. According to a 2013 survey, 2.8 per 100,000 men and women are diagnosed per year.
“I missed the first two weeks of school,” said Lucero, who’s wanted to be a nurse since she was a child and witnessed the positive impact nurses had on her ill grandmother’s outlook. “I would go to class for like a week, but then the chemo would kick in so I would have to go back to the hospital for two weeks, then back to school for a week and back to the hospital for another two weeks, it was definitely a rollercoaster. I missed a lot of school but thankfully my teachers were really helpful and let me make up the work. It was a really scary experience to have at that age and it was frustrating watching knowing all my friends were going out while I couldn’t.”
Lucero has never allowed life’s obstacles to interfere with her nursing dreams or her schoolwork. She was recently accepted into the Sigma Theta Tau International nursing honor society for having a grade point average over 3.5 and being in the top 35 percent of her class.
“Jessica was always a well-prepared and interested student,” said Margot DeSevo, a nursing professor at Adelphi University. “She wrote an excellent critique of a website for parents on toilet training and received one of the highest grades in the course entitled, “Nursing Care of the Evolving Family.” It was a pleasure to have Jessica in my classes.”
Lucero did not have to go through her battle with cancer alone, her family and friends were right by her side through the entire process. She is a sister of Adelphi’s Sigma Delta Tau sorority and received a lot of support from her pledge sisters. Lucero said that her pledge sisters would come visit her at the hospital at least once a week and that her mother would stay with her every night.
The nursing major has been able to grow from her struggles and uses her experiences to pass down wisdom to her two little sisters in her sorority. Both of her little sisters are also nursing majors so they view Lucero as a role model not only in their sorority, but also in school and in life. Although Lucero is usually busy with her rigorous nursing courses, she always makes time to help both her littles with chemistry and math.
“She’s one of the nicest and most level headed people I’ve ever met and she’s always there when you need someone to talk to,” said Kristen Harran, one of Lucero’s littles. “She’s an inspiration for everyone because of her great attitude and she’s someone that you can truly learn from.”
During the winter intercession, Lucero participated in Adelphi’s first study abroad nursing program to Guatemala. On the trip her and other students went to a local preschool to help assess children’s nutritional statuses, provide hearing screenings and distribute medication. The future nurse said that she learned to have “acquired patience” on the trip, as she learned to rely on translators to communicate with the Guatemala residents.
Professor Stefni Bogard, a nursing professor who was one of the chaperones on the trip, described Lucero as a very upbeat, motivated and compassionate student.
“Jessica was always willing to dive right into whatever hands on work we had to do,” said Bogard. “She was very patient with the kids and loved interacting with them while we assessed them. She was an overall joy to have on the trip.”
The trip to Guatemala reinforced Lucero’s dreams of helping others and showed her first hand the suffering others go through every day. She hopes to return to Guatemala after graduation and would love the opportunity to work there as a registered nurse.
“Nurses are the ones that help you feel better when you’re sick. So when you have a nurse that hates her job it makes you feel even more miserable,” said Lucero. “I had a lot of bad nurses when I was sick in the hospital. I know exactly what kind of nurse I want to be in the future and what kind I don’t want to be.”
