Tina Porpiglia

With there being over 3 million nurses in the United States alone, my biggest goal is to be a major contributing force in the field. I want to wake up everyday ready to dedicate my time to making the largest impact on everyone’s life I give care for. I believe my abilities and passion will long term be best accompanied in Pediatric or Adult Gerontology Acute Care. Over the past 3 years, I have assisted in giving care for the kindest-hearted, 30-year-old Tina Porpiglia. Tina has grown up with Cerebral Palsy as result of unexplainable and unmanageable seizures as a toddler. Being a part time volunteer caregiver for Tina has been the most surreal learning experience for me as I strive towards my goal of becoming a nurse and guiding me to the longer

The good, the bad, and the priceless are the ways I see it. Some days I would see Tina and get greeted with her bright smile and contagious giggles. She wouldn’t suffer from any seizures for the day, could hold her own cup with pride, spend hours swimming around in the pool, or want to take a ride in the convertible with the top down. But then there were the other days when she would experience multiple seizures, have what we call “jerky days” where she couldn’t control her body so her arms and head would jerk in every direction, or because of her high pain tolerance would bust open her head or break her nose from getting angry and falling. These types of days were tough not only on Tina, but myself as well. The seizures would mentally and physically exhaust her to the point of her not being able to hold her head up. But Tina has a way of teaching me that there will always be good and bad days. What you take away from all the good and bad is important and with Tina, it’s that this goal of mine to be a nurse for the rest of my life is priceless. Priceless in how Tina will hold my hand when we are laying on the couch or the way she looks up at me with this expression in her eyes that lets me know she loves me and knows that I love