Jessica Lechuga: Daughter’s health inspired her ambition
Bachelor's student Jessica Lechuga knew she wanted to be a nurse after caring for her daughter, who was born with a serious medical condition. Now, scholarships are helping make her dream a reality.
body copy Heading link
When Jessica Lechuga, at age 17, had a baby with a rare and serious medical condition called CHARGE syndrome, it was the nurses who got her through the harrowing early days in the NICU.
Nurses taught her how to care for her daughter, Abby, after a surgery at just seven days old to put stents in Abby’s nose so she could breathe and a gastrostomy tube so she could eat. They showed her how to re-insert the G-tube if it came out and how to keep Abby’s nasal passages clear. They spoke to her as a doting mother, not a clueless teenager.
Lechuga knew then that she wanted to be a nurse, but it would take her years to pursue her dream. A single mom, she worked at a pharmacy and focused on her daughter’s needs. As Abby grew and her health began to stabilize, Lechuga re-set her sights on becoming a nurse. She took a night class to get her GED and went to community college for her general education credits, before getting accepted to UIC’s bachelor of science in nursing program.
Scholarships, like the Carolyn and Andy Dystrup Scholarship, have made the difference in Lechuga’s first year at UIC. She was able to quit her pharmacy job and devote herself to school and her daughter. Now 12 and healthy, Abby walks to the College of Nursing after school (from her elementary school, next door) to study with her mom.
“I wanted to make sure to focus on nursing school and being a mom, and not overstretch myself with working, too,” Lechuga says. “I’m so grateful for these contributions to my education.”