LUBBOCK, Texas — As a teacher at Covenant School of Nursing, Jeanette Gurley has seen students come and go.
“I get the opportunity to touch thousands of patients lives through the students that I’m going to send out there to the world,” Gurley said.
But when a certain name popped up on a student roster, she says she couldn’t believe it.
“I saw her name on a roster and I thought there is no way there can be two Kelsey Culps’,” Gurley recalled.
“I was sitting there during a break and she said, ‘Where’s Kelsey Culp?’ And I said, ‘Oh no, I’m in trouble,” former nursing school student Kelsey Culp remembered.
“I told her, ‘I took care of you when you were a baby and I could hold you in one hand,'” Gurley exclaimed.
Gurley was one of the nurses who took care of Culp when she was in the NICU 22 years ago.
Culp was born 4 months early, weighing only 2 1/2 pounds.
Her family spent a lot of time in the NICU, with Gurley and other nurses by their side the whole time.
“It’s an amazing journey to be with people during times of crisis and you do bond and they become your family and you love them,” Gurley said.
Gurley says when she saw that Culp was going to school to become a nurse she couldn’t believe it.
“I always wanted to be a nurse,” Culp explained. “I want to have an impact on someone as they have on my family. I want someone to say, ‘Oh yeah, she was such an amazing nurse.'”
Culp just graduated nursing school and will now work in the same hospital as her mentor and former nurse.
“I’m so proud of her,” said Gurley. “She’s going to be an emergency room nurse.”
Culp says she can’t wait to help others just like how Gurley helped her all those years ago.
“It’s amazing how God weaves that story and to bring it full circle,” said Gurley. “And I don’t think he’s done yet. You never know.”
