Shannon Scoma is pictured with her husband, Jim, and son, Sawyer. Scoma went back to school to become a registered nurse. Submitted photo. And just all the medical things that I learned, it started to interest me.
Six years after his diagnosis, Sawyer is ventilator- and oxygen-dependent and is fed through a feeding tube. Going back to school was by no means a simple or easy task. Prior to her career switch, Scoma was a pharmacy technician for 12 years. There was a lot to juggle between work, a sick child and the intense classroom material that now occupied much of her free time. Scoma was no stranger to JCC when she returned to the campus in She used Zoom to attend class while staying in Rochester to be with her son.
She found time to be with her family ā she credits her husband, Jim, for being supportive during her schooling ā and to study. She noted that a few of her fellow classmates provided notes of lectures she missed while spending time with her son in the hospital.
When she was out for several weeks, other students often inquired about her. When she returned, she was peppered with questions about the condition of Sawyer. While still in school, she did an internship at the Jamestown hospital that provided her hands-on experience and made her fall in love with the job.
Many just kind of cheered me on along the way and were there for me and my family. Newsletter Today's breaking news and more in your inbox. Email Required. Daily Newsletter. Breaking News. Subscribe Today.
