Sandra P. Machado never found studying easy, struggling throughout her school years to achieve the good grades her siblings did.  She found great solace in caring for her grandmother who was dying of COPD.  The experience guided her toward her nursing career: she has been an RPN for the past 20 years, and now is in her final year of the RPN to BScN program offered by Nipissing. 

Her challenges with caring for her 11-year-old child with cancer and undergoing gruelling chemotherapy treatments has enabled her to provide compassionate and empathetic care.  Sandra looks forward to providing optimal patient centered care for end of life patients as an RN.