Your support of Bon Secours Richmond Health Care Foundation helped Ruth find meaning through a mid-life career shift to nursing. Donors like you help fund scholarships like the one Ruth earned, making it possible for her to attend the Bon Secours Memorial College of Nursing.

“It was like a wink from Heaven,” Ruth says. “It told me I was in the right place, doing the right thing, no matter how hard it was. Not just financially, but emotionally as well. The scholarship was a wonderful boost of confidence.

A married mother of three sons, two of whom are on the autism spectrum, Ruth worked as a photographer while her children were young. But as they grew, so did her curiosity about medicine. The challenges of seeking care for their special needs led her down a new path, and you were there to help. Ruth is grateful you helped her realize her dream.

“It’s a wonderful investment in your future care,” she says. “It’s always in the back of my mind when I meet new patients, that I’ve had help to get where I am now.”

As an Emergency Room Nurse at Bon Secours — Memorial Regional Medical Center, Ruth enjoys the fast pace. She relies on her lived experience to meet the moment.

“I can meet people in scary, difficult moments, bring a sense of calm and assure them that it’s going to be okay,” Ruth says. “My background has given me that. I connect with people easily.”