Date published: June 27, 2024
Mount Wolf, PA
"I’ve been able to continue pursuing my dream career while maintaining a work, life and school balance.”
When Lindsey was 28 years old, her husband Freddie was serving in the U.S. military and developed cancer from the burn pits used to incinerate waste in Iraq. Tragically, he died after a short battle with the disease.
While this traumatic loss presented many challenges for Lindsey, it also led her to her calling. She enrolled in HACC’s Nursing Program and plans to dedicate her career to helping veterans navigate health issues, just like she did for her first husband.
“I had to spend many years fighting to prove the link between Freddie’s cancer and service and eventually was able to get him 100% service-connected,” Lindsey said. “I was a victim of a traumatic event that left me with PTSD and anxiety, so learning to cope with those diagnoses while still being able to live as normal of a life as possible while raising my two daughters has been a learning experience. I recently remarried and bought a house. All these situations have had an impact on my life but have given me the determination and drive to pursue my healthcare career to help veterans, especially those fighting cancer from Agent Orange and burn pits, so they don’t have to fight for the care they are deserving of.”
Lindsey said she enjoys HACC’s diverse student community and flexibility. “I’ve been able to continue pursuing my dream career while maintaining a work/life/school balance with my family, working full time and being a volunteer firefighter/EMT.”
Without HACC, Lindsey said, “It would make it much more difficult for me to pursue my career as I need to be able to continue to support my family while seeking my education.”
As Lindsey pursues her education, she has found that HACC has also positively influenced her two daughters. “My children seeing me push myself to earn good grades while in school and still caring for them has encouraged them to try harder in school to see their dreams come true as they grow up.”
After completing her time at HACC, Lindsey said she plans “to continue my work at the VA as well as begin my bridge for my master’s to become a nurse educator or a legal nurse consultant as a patient advocate.”
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