For a student who has completed their studies, it's so fulfilling to dedicate their achieved success to loved ones, especially to family. But what if, at the finish line, they slowly fade away and no longer witness this accomplishment?
But the story of nurse Fe Clarisse Joy I. Mariano is different because she gradually lost her loved ones, who should have been there to share in her success at work and perseverance in completing her studies, including post-graduate programs.
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| Photo courtesy: Facebook/Clarisse Joy Ibay-Mariano via Nurse Nemo |
In addition to her Bachelor of Arts in Nursing and being a registered nurse (RN), she has also completed two post-graduate programs related to her profession.
These are a Master of Arts in Nursing and a Doctor in Nursing Management.
Nurse Joy shares that her father was the first to pass away, missing many milestones in her life.
Next to pass away was their beloved mother, whom she described as a "superwoman" because of all the selling and side jobs she took on to support her children after becoming a widow.
Two years later, their older brother, who acted as a second parent to them, suffered a heart attack. His death was sudden, and it was then that Nurse Joy began to feel the exhaustion of losing loved ones.
As a result, only she and her sister were left, and it was during this time that Nurse Joy became more vocal about her feelings. Her sister witnessed all of her milestones and supported her in every one. However, her sister was diagnosed with cancer and given a five-year prognosis by doctors.
In 2023, her sister passed away, but for Nurse Joy, there was a sense of relief because she believed that God did not want her sister to suffer any longer.
Although she lost her family one by one, Nurse Joy still feels that God has been good to her because she has been blessed with a loving husband and children.
Many admired Nurse Joy's resilience because if it had happened to them, they might have given up long ago.
— Noel Ed Richards, The Summit Express
