LEBANON, N.H. (WCAX) – Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center and other hospitals in our region have been celebrating the contribution of nurses this month, and on Thursday that included the accomplishments of an Upper Valley woman who recently realized a dream come true.
“It is still soaking in, I can’t believe it. I am overwhelmed but I am so grateful that everybody makes me feel that I make a difference in their life,” said Jeanette Ogomo, who has lived in Lebanon for the last 15 years after arriving in the country from Kenya.
In addition to raising her family with her husband, she has been pursuing a career in nursing at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, rising from an LPN to now becoming a registered nurse.
Ogomo says the certification fulfills a girlhood dream. “I grew up surrounded by three nurses — two paternal aunts and one maternal aunt. They inspired me to become an RN as a little kid. Watching them take care of people in the community. I tagged along with each one of them. I really got so attracted to being one person who can also make an impact and care for people,” Ogomo said.
Fellow nurses and doctors gathered together with her family to celebrate her win. “It is honestly very special. I am very proud to have her as my mom. To see how she is benefitting the community around her,” said Hagin Onyango, her son.
Her supervisor, Annie Labombard, says that during the current shortage of nurses, the field needs more people like Ogomo. “Being a nurse sometimes you may not always feel the appreciation. You kind of get in the grind, get into the routine, you do your job. She is one of the few that come up through that, has always known they wanted to be a nurse,” she said.
And now, Ogomo is excited to make a difference in others’ lives.