Before Patricia Pata dressed for graduation, she taped several old family photos inside of her cap. Then she flipped it over and carefully glued the words, ‘As promised mom and dad, now watch me shine’ around the tassel.
Sadly, Patti's parents were there only in spirit as she fulfilled a promise she made to them before they died six years ago: She earned her registered nurse diploma and then completed the RN to BS degree at Penn State Abington.
“I am who I am today because of my mom and dad,” she said. "My mom is the biggest reason I went into nursing and my dad, too. After my mom died, I took care of him."
Growing up, their family was close: parents Eileen and Steve, Patti, and her brother. She lived at home after high school, working as an aide at a personal-care facility while completing prerequisites for nursing school.
But by the time Patti reached her early 20s, her dad struggled with diabetes, and her mom needed a liver transplant. Despite the hardship, the nurses who cared for Eileen reinforced Patti’s goal.
"I saw some amazing nurses who I wanted to emulate," she said. "I want people to be cared for the way I would want my family to be treated."
Since Patti’s brother was deployed in Iraq, she and her dad -- still managing his own health issues -- worked opposite shifts so someone was always home caring for Eileen. It was tiring and stressful, but they were in it together.
Eileen's new liver began to fail and her kidneys soon followed. Patti offered to donate a piece of her own liver, but her mom was too fragile to endure more surgery. During one of their talks during Eileen's final months, Patti told her: “I promise you, I will finish nursing school and sign my name Patricia Pata, RN, BSN.”
They cared for Eileen as long as possible at home, but eventually she was admitted to hospice at Aria Frankford Hospital in Philadelphia. Her dad was in intensive care there after surgery, and Patti and her husband, Derek, kept vigil.
“I went home for a nap, and my mom passed away," Patti recalled. "Not only did I lose my best friend, but I also wasn’t there holding her hand and comforting her.”
Six months later, Steve died in his sleep, and the following month Patti lost her grandfather.
Patti Pata buried both of her parents by the time she was 25 years old.
“Heartbroken does not begin to explain my emotions, I felt like I was walking through a dream," she said. "I had to arrange the funeral and then clear out and sell their home. I hadn’t even bought a house for myself yet.”
"I fell into depression. I never gave up although I came close a couple times," Patti remembered. "I often thought what was the point of continuing without my parents."