{"id":20601,"date":"2024-06-17T09:23:18","date_gmt":"2024-06-17T13:23:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/marymount.edu\/?p=20601"},"modified":"2024-06-17T11:54:42","modified_gmt":"2024-06-17T15:54:42","slug":"journey-from-cancer-sepsis-survivor-to-marymount-nursing-graduate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/marymount.edu\/blog\/journey-from-cancer-sepsis-survivor-to-marymount-nursing-graduate\/","title":{"rendered":"Journey from cancer, sepsis survivor to Marymount nursing graduate"},"content":{"rendered":"

About a decade ago, Chantal Bserani was given less than a five percent chance of survival. But last month, she stood on the stage at Marymount University\u2019s Spring 2024 Nursing Pinning Ceremony, speaking to a crowd of hundreds while celebrating a milestone in her pursuit of a new career helping others.<\/p>\n

Bserani, a 52-year-old mother of two, just graduated from Marymount\u2019s accelerated second-degree Bachelor of Science in Nursing program<\/a> as part of the University\u2019s Class of 2024. Driven by a lifelong desire to help those in need, her journey to this moment was anything but typical. She initially planned on becoming a doctor but changed her major and earned a sociology degree in 1995, seeking to assist marginalized communities. She worked as a social worker and helped at-risk youth before pursuing a fitness career, running classes as a trainer, weightlifting coach and cycling instructor.<\/p>\n

\"Journey<\/p>\n

But her life took a dramatic turn at 39 when she was diagnosed with cancer, a disease that had already profoundly affected her family.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy mom was one of seven children, and four of her sisters died from breast cancer all before they reached 60. And my mom herself died of ovarian cancer,\u201d Bserani reflected. \u201cI began having mammograms yearly at 21, and when I turned 30 it was every six months due to my family history.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite her active lifestyle, she suffered from an emotional roller coaster as she faced bilateral breast cancer and underwent 14 surgeries over eight years, battling sepsis and septic shock that resulted from three hospital-acquired infections. It all started with a concerning mammogram that revealed five tumors \u2013 fortunately caught early at stages 0 or 1, but still fast-growing and aggressive. Longing for a reduced risk of cancer recurrence later in life, Bserani opted for a radical bilateral mastectomy.<\/p>\n

\u201cI remember every day after the surgery, I felt worse. Just lifting a glass felt like I had run a marathon,\u201d she recalled. \u201cAfter several days I finally called the doctor back, but I passed out before I finished the call.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rushed to the hospital with a fever of 106 degrees, Bserani\u2019s condition worsened as she became septic.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was terrible \u2013 a priest came in at one point. Nobody told me at the time that I had a less than five percent chance of living,\u201d Bserani said. \u201cNothing was working. They tried different cocktails of antibiotics but my fever wouldn\u2019t break.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Bserani<\/p>\n

Despite the dire prognosis and a multi-month hospital stay, she survived. But that was just the beginning of a long and painful journey that included continuous use of PICC line-administered antibiotics and the diagnosis of an autoimmune disease that attacked her reconstructive implants.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had to have surgeries to radically remove previous reconstruction, and they would last six to 10 hours each and the recovery would take months. Every surgery left me starting from a place of almost complete upper body immobility, zero energy and no strength,\u201d Bserani explained. \u201cMy last surgery was in 2018, and now I have over 350 staples inside of me. You get used to the pain after a while, but it still took a lot of time to recover from all of the surgeries I went through.\u201d<\/p>\n

If there was one silver lining, it was how Bserani discovered a new calling. The compassion and dedication of the nurses she encountered inspired her to change her career path.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t realize all of the things that nurses do \u2013 every aspect of a patient care plan is implemented by the nurses,\u201d she said. \u201cThat includes vigilant assessments, interventions, precautions, calculating medication dosages, patient and family education, connection to services and rehab teams and, perhaps most importantly, advocating for patients and evaluating their progress both physically and emotionally.\u201d<\/p>\n

The COVID-19 pandemic solidified Bserani\u2019s decision to attend nursing school. She wanted to make a meaningful impact on the world, so she chose Marymount for its accelerated BSN program and its personal approach and started in Fall 2022.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt felt like every time I called other schools, I talked to someone different and no one knew who I was. But Marymount was great during the admissions process,\u201d she said. \u201cAll of the faculty and clinical educators were amazing. The professors were tough on us, as they should be \u2013 because it\u2019s life and death and we can really impact someone\u2019s outcome.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Bserani<\/p>\n

As a Marymount student, Bserani became a mentor to her peers throughout her classes, nursing simulations and clinical rotations.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was sort of the unofficial \u2018mom\u2019 in our cohort. I would tell them that there\u2019s always something to do and to be proactive, because it matters,\u201d she advised. \u201cPatients will come into contact with us and we can anticipate their needs or help when we see they\u2019re struggling.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bserani will soon start her residency at Georgetown University Hospital\u2019s Post-Anesthesia Care Unit<\/a>, bringing her journey full circle. From surviving a life-threatening illness to becoming a nurse dedicated to patient care, her story is one of resilience and transformation.<\/p>\n

\u201cChantal\u2019s story exemplifies the power of Marymount\u2019s student-centric approach,\u201d said Dr. Andrew Wolf, Director of Marymount University\u2019s Malek School of Nursing Professions<\/a>. \u201cOur faculty are deeply committed to empowering each student to reach their full potential. They connect with students on a personal level, rallying around them to provide the individualized support and guidance they need to succeed. This unwavering dedication is at the heart of the Marymount experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Crowd<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

About a decade ago, Chantal Bserani was given less than a five percent chance of survival. But last month, she stood on the stage at Marymount University\u2019s Spring 2024 Nursing Pinning Ceremony, speaking to a crowd of hundreds while celebrating a milestone in her pursuit of a new career helping others. Bserani, a 52-year-old mother […]<\/p>\n

Read More…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":20603,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"no","ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[2270,2274,2269,1694,14,15,310,2271,2272,2273],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nJourney from cancer, sepsis survivor to Marymount nursing graduate - Marymount University<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"After a long and tumultuous health journey, Chantal Bserani is celebrating a milestone in her pursuit of a new nursing career.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/marymount.edu\/blog\/journey-from-cancer-sepsis-survivor-to-marymount-nursing-graduate\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Journey from cancer, sepsis survivor to Marymount nursing graduate\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"After a long and tumultuous health journey, Chantal Bserani is celebrating a milestone in her pursuit of a new nursing career.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/marymount.edu\/blog\/journey-from-cancer-sepsis-survivor-to-marymount-nursing-graduate\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Marymount University\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-06-17T13:23:18+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-06-17T15:54:42+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/marymount.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/FOR-WEB-1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"700\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"420\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"nmunson\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"nmunson\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/marymount.edu\/blog\/journey-from-cancer-sepsis-survivor-to-marymount-nursing-graduate\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/marymount.edu\/blog\/journey-from-cancer-sepsis-survivor-to-marymount-nursing-graduate\/\",\"name\":\"Journey from cancer, sepsis survivor to Marymount nursing graduate - 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