“Mom, something is wrong with Dad.” Journeys begin with a single step; this one also began with a single sentence.

The dad is Peter Pfeifer; the daughter is Lauren Pfeifer. The “something is wrong” was a hemorrhagic stroke, a brain bleed.

The daughter was the one who actually began this journey with that single sentence and step. Lauren was a junior at Starr’s Mill High School, wondering what she should do with her life.

Old enough to participate, Lauren had personal exposure to the events that followed her dad’s stroke.

An excerpt from her college application essay says, “I have been asked a number of times why I want to become a nurse instead of a doctor. It is difficult for people to understand why I would choose an extremely demanding, lower paying job with less recognition.

“For me, the answer is simple: caring. Not to say that doctors do not care. Doctors do amazing things and they are certainly important, but for the patient and their family, the doctor is a barely recognizable face that they see maybe once a day.

“To me, caring is the central focus of the nursing profession. It is more important than anything else I can do as a nurse. I chose nursing was because I want to care for people on all levels. To me caring is the most important quality a nurse can possess.

“When I was 17, my father had a stroke and was hospitalized for about two months. Nothing like that had ever happened to me. This experience demonstrated to me, first-hand, the importance of good and caring nurses.

“It was amazing to see how much of a difference the nurses made, not just to my father, but to my mother and me as well.

“The I.C.U nurses were exceptional and in addition to providing excellent medical care, most of them treated us as if my father was their only patient. They were interested in how we were feeling and were willing to do anything they could to help. They offered encouragement, hope, and humor at the appropriate times.

“I had opportunities to talk with his nurses about their education and their jobs and these conversations made me realize that I was born to be a nurse. I wanted to do for others what they had done for my family and me.

“After spending three weeks in the hospital my father was transferred to the Shepherd Center. Again I had an opportunity to witness true dedication and caring by nurses who genuinely cared and made a difference. No other profession seemed to fit after that.”

With her decision made, she chose to attend Mercer University’s Georgia Baptist College of Nursing. She applied, was accepted, and began her courses in the fall of 2004.

Four years later, after being named a Piedmont Scholar, with four semesters on the President’s List (all A’s) and four on the Dean’s List, Lauren graduated as a B.S.N. (Bachelor of Science, Nursing) in December 2008 with a 3.56 GPA, cum laude, a member of Sigma Theta Tau, the honor society of nursing.

Part of the benefit and requirement for her Piedmont scholarship was employment with Piedmont Hospital. The uncertainty lay in where that employment would be. A candidate has to determine the field in which they hope to build their career.

Lauren considered all the medical areas she had been exposed to during her clinical education. Students were required to pick three, a top choice and two others. Lauren chose the I.C.U., or Intensive Care Unit, as her first choice.

Applications were submitted. Candidates were interviewed. Lauren was hired.

Nursing students spend most of their final semester in the area they hope to work in. Lauren’s first patient in I.C.U. was in a room she knew quite well. It was the same room where her father had been a patient.

A journey that began in her Peachtree City home, and traveled through the Piedmont Atlanta I.C.U., had returned to the I.C.U. for Lauren. But this time, to put her acquired skills to work.

As her father said, “If the reason I had the stroke was to expose Lauren to nursing and let her know the real difference she could make, it was worth it. Our faith tells us that all things work together for good for those who love God”

On Feb. 24, Lauren took the NCLEX examination, the state licensing examination that is the requirement to become a registered nurse (R.N.). She passed.

Peter Pfeifer

Peachtree City, Ga.

[Pfeifer is a former Fayette County commissioner.]