Entrepreneur's life-changing cancer journey inspires her to switch careers and become a nurse

Life is often known to make some impactful detours. Several experiences divert our routes from what we had planned and lead us to discover a new journey along the way. Something similar unfolded with Eve Howard after she was diagnosed with cancer in 2018, reports BBC News. As a mom and entrepreneur, a lot had changed for Howard after her diagnosis. The woman had her own IT marketing firm, but something along her cancer journey caused her to switch careers to become a nurse, reports The Standard. Howard was finally free of cancer in 2021. However, the hospital staff and medical professionals had left an unshakeable impact on her.

“I say in my personal statement on my CV that due to a very significant health diagnosis, it has led me to see what patient-centered care is like from the inside. Honestly, from that moment forward, I couldn’t think of another career that I wanted to do,” Howard said. While several professionals provided the medical treatment she needed, they also significantly supported her emotionally and mentally through the journey. Ian Badger, her consultant, helped her through the many crises she faced internally. “If it hadn’t been for the way he delivered the news, I don’t think I’d have coped with it,” she said. 

Howard recalled the gentleness and empathy with which Badger broke the news to her. “He grabbed me by the hands and looked me in the eyes and said, ‘You have a serious problem, but remember these words: It’s treatable and it’s curable.’ As soon as I heard that, that was all I needed,” she explained. After surgeries, the mom and entrepreneur had a part of her bowel removed. The journey wasn’t easy. “My stomach looked like Google Maps,” she joked. After getting the call that she was clear of cancer, Howard applied to train as a nurse at Wolverhampton’s Cross Hospital within the next five days.

Her inspiration was largely her own diagnosis and the gentle care of the staff. She shared several glimpses of what nursing school and training looked like. In one of her posts on Instagram, Howard is seen enthusiastically working with a dummy to practice. She wrote, “Pleased to say my patient with a blocked airway is doing well.” Speaking about her experience, Howard mentioned how the hospital was close to her heart since it was the place where she had her surgeries and where her kids were born as well.

Also, her placements were fatefully symbolic. “My second placement was on Ward A14, where male patients are treated, but it’s close to where I was cared for on Ward A12,” she recalled. She explained that having her placement there was one of the best she could ask for. “There were cancer patients and people who’d undergone bowel surgery there, so I could really relate to what people are going through,” she exclaimed. She shared in another post that she had marked the end of her second year as a student nurse and was enthusiastically off to her third year.

Howard went from being an entrepreneur to a nurse after her personal experience and conviction, as “there is no other job that is more rewarding.” She added, “I feel a 100% different person to who I was before my cancer – it’s very transformative.” Howard is very close to graduating and cannot wait to apply for permanent roles and give back the same love and care she received.

You can follow Eve Howard (@eve.howard) on Instagram to follow along her life's journey.