OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — Teresa Cox had a full circle moment while wrapping up nursing school.
Last week, the 55-year-old had her clinical rotation at Methodist Estabrook Cancer Center. In the same building, she received treatment for breast cancer.
The Council Bluffs woman received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing Friday at Nebraska Methodist College's commencement Friday at a packed St. Andrew's Methodist Church.
She graduated Magna Cum Laude and with additional hours of a portfolio of distinction and a top capstone presentation.
Cancer slowed her down, she said but didn't stop her.
"It was a wake-up call for me," Cox said, "To starting living my life in an authentic way. That time is short that we have here."
The diagnosis only furthered her desire to help others. Cox says she was repeatedly exposed to medical issues herself and in her family, causing her to become interested: She had twins who spent a month in the NICU after birth and struggled with infertility. Her son was diagnosed with schizophrenia. Her mom was "sick most of her life with a heart condition."
But she says her first clinical experience with a patient solidified things. A 20-something had suffered injuries in a car crash that nearly killed her.
"I knew how to relate to her," Cox said. "That was just based on all the things that I had experienced in my life up to that point. I left there that day knowing that I was exactly where I was supposed to be."
After her diagnosis at a routine check, she said she wasn't sure if she would be able to finish school.
"I wanted to graduate college," Cox said. "I set the goal when I was a fifth grader. So to be here now at 55 ... I'm feeling very accomplished today."
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