Good afternoon, everyone. My name is Ryan Caulfield and I am a proud seven-time Susan Fund scholarship recipient. I am approaching the tail end of a challenging educational journey that was supported by each and every member of the board here today. I graduated with degrees in Nursing and Economics back in 2021, and am now completing the final year of my Doctorate in Nursing Practice in Nurse Anesthesia at the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania.
Back in high school, nursing — let alone anesthesiology — wasn’t even on my radar. I was too busy trying to balance competitive rowing with my intense coursework at Staples High School in Westport. Over the course of six months in my junior year, I had recurrent bouts of pneumonia, and breathing got progressively more difficult. My rowing performance declined, and I remember my biggest concern in the world was what my coaches thought of me. I began wheezing, waking up in the middle of the night gasping for air. I was misdiagnosed with asthma, which made me doubt myself more and more as I continued feeling worse and worse despite using the inhaler I was told would fix me. Then my teammates began to mistake my illness for weakness, and I felt more alone than ever. By Thanksgiving, I couldn’t climb a single flight of stairs to go from my French class to my economics class without gasping for breath.
I had to advocate for myself that something was wrong, that this wasn’t normal. Despite multiple clean lung x-rays, further testing showed that my pulmonary function had more in common with an 80-year-old lifetime chain-smoker than a 16-year-old. A CT Scan determined that I had a significant tumor completely occluding my left lung, encroaching into my trachea, with the added bonus of secreting hormones that made my blood pressure swing like a pendulum. I spent my 17th birthday in the operating room at Yale New Haven to partially remove the tumor in order to open my airway — not the way I ever thought I would be celebrating a birthday, but this procedure gave me a temporary improvement of breathing.
Several more procedures in the OR over the next few months monitored my tumor until the big surgery. In May of my junior year of high school I had my chest cracked open in a 10-hour full reconstruction of my airway and successful tumor removal, recovering for the following 10 days in the cardiothoracic intensive care and step-down units. It was there that I received the first piece of career advice that sparked my journey in healthcare: an ICU nurse who was carrying my drains, tubes, and lines along with me as I limped down the hall with a walker, encouraging me to be a nurse. I’m not sure if he was especially encouraging, or if it was the blend of heavy pain medication coursing through my veins, but I took this to heart. After a prolonged recovery, when I was applying to nursing school, I happened to see the Susan Fund while searching for scholarships. I could not be more thankful that I clicked the link.
From the very first time that I met with the board, I realized that they cared about my story and academic aspirations. Each year, I began to look forward to our yearly meeting to share what was new in my life and my plans after graduation. Returning to the Susan Fund upon starting graduate school was not unlike attending a family gathering. Even these yearly receptions are a celebration of our academic and personal achievements despite our experiences, past or current, with cancer. Listening to the stories of the yearly speakers, and honoring and remembering Susan, constantly reinforce my resolve in becoming the best provider I can be. I never knew Susan, but her compassion and bravery is exemplified by this foundation and the opportunities that have been provided to each recipient to pursue their dreams. To Ann Lloyd and each and every member of the Board of Directors, I would like to express a sincere thank you from all of us. Without your support, my 8-year journey to become a nurse anesthetist would not have been possible.
