Isabella Pirola

I am currently a full-time student at Stony Brook University studying Health Sciences. My goal is to study Nursing for my masters and pursue rehabilitative care and/or pain management.

My interest in the healthcare field was driven by being introduced to illness at an early age. My father suffered a brain stem stroke during a surgery to treat trigeminal neuralgia—a condition that his doctor misdiagnosed for recurrent brain stem tumors. His medical plight has greatly impacted my life, and I aim to help those like my father one day.

He passed away March 9, 2015. In his honor, I wrote ˆSteadfast,ˆ a book that is metaphorically written for children and adolescents to process loss. It simplistically describes love, suffering, and death while providing symbolism through an oak tree, a storm, and a family of robins. Grief is a difficult journey; I want to share my experiences so that I can help those who are going through it.