When Taylor came home to care for her mom, she thought her dream career had to wait.

HCC showed her it didn’t.

Taylor Pinetti's love of science began in high school, when her mom, Virginia, was diagnosed with stage four cervical cancer. “I became sort of obsessed with curing cancer,” she laughed. Already excelling in her STEM classes, she joined the biomedical science program at the Washington County Technical High School.

Then came a curveball. In her junior year, Taylor was diagnosed with psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (PNES), forcing her out of school for several months. But she only let it fuel her ambition. “That's when I became fascinated by the brain. I wanted to learn everything I could to understand my seizures better.” Four years and two schools later, she earned a degree in neuroscience from the University of Maryland.

While preparing for the MCAT, Taylor received a devastating call; her mother had end-stage renal disease that would require daily dialysis treatments. Without a second thought, she pressed pause on her plans and moved back home to care for her mom.

It was an intimidating first day. “You don't just stick your mother with a 16-inch gauge needle on your first day of training, but that's what happened.” She quickly became a skilled full-time nurse for her mother, doing her labs, vitals, and blood work.

As she fell in love with the work she was doing, Taylor felt a new dream taking shape. “Physicians don't always get as much time with their patients. As a nurse, you're there with them 12 hours a day. You act as an occupational therapist, a nutritionist, a dietitian, and even a doctor sometimes.”

She enrolled in HCC’s nursing program, where she found inspiring instructors and support close to home. Unsure that her job at Meritus Medical Center would cover all of her expenses, she applied for help through the HCC Foundation, and received three scholarships.

“I now have the independence I need to become an advocate not only for my mom, but for all of my future patients,” she said. With much of her financial burden lifted, today Taylor can focus fully on her responsibilities as a student, an employee, and a daughter.

Taylor thought caring for her mom meant putting her dreams on hold. With HCC’s support, she discovered a path forward right by her mother's side.

Earlier this year, Taylor and her mom got the call they had been waiting for – a lifesaving kidney transplant was finally on the way.

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