Cerebral Palsy Woman Is Working Hard to Become a Nurse

1/05/09

Carla Pease was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at the age of three. From that moment, she realized that she truly admired the nurses who provided care for her.

"I was never one of those kids that said I wanted to be a doctor or a lawyer. I always knew I wanted to be a nurse," said Pease. "I knew I wouldn't be happy being anything other than a nurse."

Pease developed a condition called reflex sympathetic dystrophy at a very young age. This is a condition that attacks the nervous system after a surgery or trauma to a part of the body. Despite this serious setback, Pease decided that she was still going to be a nurse one day.

She has learned that physically, nursing may not be the best career for her to go into, however, she decided that it was still worth the effort to try. She finished her LPN degree this past summer and will finish the RN program in May. She plans on getting her masters in nursing and says that the help of the Dakota nursing program and its students have helped in her success.

"I never felt like I was a second-class nursing student because of my cerebral palsy," she told the press.

When Pease needed a joint repair surgery performed on her foot during spring break, those that were in her nursing program were extremely supportive, along with the community. She received braces almost completely free from a program called Jerene's Wish. This program supplies free orthotics to those that are in need.

The Dakota Nursing Program has been quite supporting of her all of this time.

Isn't this a wonderful story? It just goes to show you how resilient those with cerebral palsy can be. I was truly inspred by Pease's story.

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