Very little hurts as deeply as seeing a parent hospitalized, helpless, lying in a bed. John Itoe, the sixth of 10 siblings in Cameroon, knew he was called to do something more; to help those hurting, like the nurses helped his father over 30 years ago.
“That moment, I saw him lying helpless in his hospital bed ... It’s heavy for me to remember, but I saw the nurses — the care they were providing for him — that was the point I decided that I’m going to be a nurse.”
In search of better career opportunities, in 2010, John left Cameroon for the United States. But his path to nursing, like many others, was not without obstacles. To pursue nursing, John set his sights on a Certified Nursing Assistant license; without the funds to take the required courses, John had to ask friends for a loan, and without transportation, he had to take the bus or walk in the snow.
“But I was persistent — because a CNA job has to do with nursing, I really have to do it.”
In 2019, after struggling through classes at a local nursing school and the birth of his two daughters, he decided to enroll in AdventHealth University. With a family to care for and a new mortgage payment, John was quickly overwhelmed and without support.
Thankfully, as an AdventHealth University student, John was able to access AdventHealth’s Grace Fund. Since 2004, the Grace Fund has given over $162,000 to help AdventHealth University students in dire need of a financial lift, all donated by faculty, staff, and members of the community.
With the help of the Grace Fund and John’s unending passion for nursing, he was able to graduate with his Bachelor of Science in Nursing from AHU in 2023, 13 years after moving to the United States. He passed his NCLEX RN exam in 2024 and is now a registered nurse on the Medical/Surgery Unit of AdventHealth Porter. After earning the Caring in Nursing award from AdventHealth University in 2024, John said:
“I just thought about how far I’ve come. It was boosting, for me, that this university is an example of what they teach. If you are struggling in school, you are not alone. There are resources always available.”
