MIDLAND, Texas — Brooke Anthony has always known that she wanted to be a nurse and now she's doing her dream job at a very special place-Midland Memorial Hospital.
“I’m back at my home and I love this hospital,” said Anthony.
It's a hospital Brooke spent a lot of time in as a child, when her mom got sick.
"I felt like I was called into nursing because my mom got sick. And we spent a lot of time in the hospital so I got to see a different side of nursing so even more so I said this is what I want to do," Anthony said.
At just 18, she was already on the path to nursing when her mom was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease.
"I just started my basics at Midland College when she first got sick," said Anthony. "She got sick and it was unexpected but she was a patient here at Midland Memorial and we spent days and nights here for months so I really got to see a little bit of everything. Some good, some bad but it just made me want to continue on with my nursing degree."
However, even in sickness her mom was always her number one supporter. "My mom was super encouraging," she says, "she was the best patient. I wish I had a million of her she was the best patient. I have nurses here that I work with that did take care of my mom and they’d say the same thing she was a great patient."
But her biggest supporter wasn't there to see her accomplish her goals.
"My mom ended up passing away, that was difficult. In the middle of all that I did take off of school for semester," said Anthony.
But she came back for her mom.
"It was tough coming back and I think I mainly came back for her. I think she’d be disappointed if I didn’t," Anthony said.
Anthony finished school and for the past five years she's worked at the same hospital where her mom got treatment. Every day, she helps patients and their families, giving back the same gift that was given to her and her family all those years ago.
"I’ve been there, I’ve been in some of these patient's shoes as a family member and it’s hard so I just hope I can make it a good experience for anyone in the hospital because there were lots of nurses that had done that for me and not only my mom. It was eye-opening and I just hope I continue doing that as I go on being a nurse," Anthony said.
All that, sparked by a Mother's love.
"I’m proud to say I pushed through. I know that my mom would be so happy. I know she’s smiling down extremely happy that I pushed through and finished," said Anthony.