Candace Castro has worked as a nurse at Montefiore Weiler in the Bronx for nearly 40 years helping mothers in the borough deliver healthy babies while raising her own children.
Her dedication to care and her community inspired her three daughters, Cassandra, Kelly and Kayla, to follow in her footsteps and become nurses.
Candace told the Bronx Times that she loved watching her daughters become nurses.
“ It’s very emotional,” Candace said. “It makes me very happy – very proud.”
Kelly Castro, Candace’s 28-year-old daughter and the middle of three sisters, said that her mother played a big role in her decision to become a nurse.
“I witnessed her be an inspiring leader among her coworkers,” Kelly said. “I was able to see the deep appreciation and love she received from being a nurse. I knew from a young age I wanted to follow in her footsteps and get the opportunity to make an impact on lives.”
Now, Kelly and both her sisters work as nurses in the Montefiore Medical system – the same hospital network where their mother has worked in the Bronx for almost four decades. Candace’s youngest daughter Kayla said that nursing makes her feel like she is doing something that matters.
“The most rewarding part of my nursing career is experiencing the appreciation patients express during a vulnerable part of their life,” Kayla said. “Patients put their utmost trust in you to care for them. Each day I remind myself that I have the opportunity to help people even if it’s as simple as cracking a joke with a patient to make them smile on their worst day.”
Kayla and her sisters said that they now get to experience the same sense of purpose as their mother when they show up to work. Kelly also said they enjoy what they do.
“It is a job that can certainly be stressful at times, but the feeling of positively changing someone’s life through the care and time you give them is an amazing experience,” Kelly said.
Cassandra described a time when she was working in the nursery and monitoring a newborn’s feeding progress and sugar levels.
“ I saw the mom and the dad meeting with the baby and they were like, ‘oh my God, Cassie, good to see you, thank you so much.’” Cassandra said. “Little things like that when you’re going to work and the patient recognizes you, it just really warms your heart.”
The four of them recognize that nursing often comes with a demanding and hectic schedule, especially in hospitals which need to be staffed around the clock. But the quartet said they still make time for the family, even if that means that they can’t always be together on holidays.
“ There were some holidays—when they [the sisters] were little—that I wasn’t there for Christmas,” Candace said. “We would do Christmas Eve. That’s just what a nurse does. Somebody has to take care of the patients.”
Still, the family of nurses said that they share the difficult experiences of working in nursing and can be there for one another in a unique way.
“We are lucky enough to be able to truly understand what one another goes through in our career,” Kayla said. “Nursing is a unique profession where being surrounded by others who have been in your shoes is sometimes just what you need. Letting one another talk about their day is the biggest way we support each other.”
Kelly said that not only has her mother been an inspiration, but she has also helped the sisters through difficult times.
“My mom has been our go-to for all our questions, concerns, and anxieties throughout our whole nursing careers.” Kelly said. “As nurses we have a deeper understanding on what each one of us goes through when we have a hard day at work and can give advice and support.”
