The Beginning days......

As far back at the age of 5 years old I knew I had a calling on my life to be a nurse. It is my belief that we all come with a set of skills, gifts and a "center". A center is the very thing that God has gifted you with; that if you allow, He will use to minister to those around you. My center is and always has been a deep compassion for people. Some people refer to this as Empaths. I just know that my core is affected when I see people hurting. And so, it is very fitting that I would be drawn to the field of Nursing.

I glamorized Nursing as a child. I wore the lab coat, had my "doctor kit" in tow and would line up my dolls, and the pet of the time to "play doctor". I was there to "save the day" and help heal their ailments; from bandaids to performing full surgery. I was raised in an incredible household with two loving parents and my 2 brothers. My childhood was full of fun, magical moments and daydreams of my future in Nursing. My goal was to get into Nursing school, graduate and move to Chicago and live in a loft, wear a power suit with a lab coat over it.

Having been raised in South Texas as a multi-cultural individual myself ( my father is Spanish-Italian and my mother is Swiss-German and was raised Amish-Mennonite) gave me a wonderful appreciation for all types of people and cultures.

I had a wonderful foundation of schooling that included homeschooling and private education. In my high school days is where I began to prepare for my entrance exams and Nursing interview. Everyone should have a mentor, someone that they look up to in a profession, mine is a wonderful woman by the name of Natalie Burkhalter...those that loved her simply called her "Nat". She is a nursing legend in South Texas. She has a "Mother Theresa" heart and as they say in Boston she is "wicked smart". She ran circles around most doctors and many of them revered her knowledge and opinion as if she was their equal collegue. I had an advantage to her knowledge and presence as we went to the same church. So, naturally I shared with her that I would grow up to be a nurse just like her.

Years later,I found myself at her instruction and in her lectures thinking,I must be dreaming. I daydreamed of what my life would be like as a nurse and all the people I would help. Nat encouraged me to get a nurses aid position at our main hospital because she felt that it would provide me a hands-on advantage into the profession. She also shared that if I could do a nurse aid job well then I could do just about anything. She wasn't wrong. Those nurse aid shifts is some of the hardest work that I have ever done to date. That says a-lot seeing as I grew up watching hard-working people. I was raised by working class parents with a rich legacy of incredibly hardworking Amish-Mennoites grandparents. I was no stranger to hardwork. This was next level work though. The kind of work that makes you question the 15 years that you spent dreaming of this very thing. Nonetheless, the Villarreals and Kings do not quit. We dig in and do the work. I will say, I learned the most about myself, others and life during those years. I also learned how deeply I care about people and their well-being, not just their physical symptoms.

Enter love, It was around this time as we are nearing the end of Nursing school that in walks my future husband to the church where I grew up in. Todd and I knew rather instantly that we were destined to marry and start a life. My dad had one request for the blessing of marriage and that was that I finish my program that I had worked so very hard for. Needless to say, I graduated and was given the honor to address my class as the speaker of the pinning ceremony. All my dreams flashed in front of me as I stood there along my classmates. Dreams of medicine, practice, healing and making a dent in this life.

As that summer ended, I passed my NCLEX® exam with flying colors and I was off as a Bachelors' prepared Registered Nurse. I loved my position at the hospital in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). The NI is an amazing place, a close group of Nurses and care team that work round the clock to save the most vulnerable, weakest and most precious. We became family to one another as we nurtured the tiniest.

Todd and I married in the Fall of 2003 and I soon began to feel that my calling was knocking yet again for graduate school, with the goal of becoming a Family Nurse Practitioner. I applied shortly after and was accepted. The thought of expanding my knowledge and the freedom to autonomously diagnose and treat individuals is my God-given skill set. In fact, it was while in graduate school that my father was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma and around this time a second major blow hit our family. Todd was in a horrific work-related accident that left him unable to weight-bear for more than 6 months. It is a miracle that he lives and walks today. Our daily lives changed from that point on, and I can remember feeling desperate for more answers and began researching the bodies ability to heal from cancers, from traumatizing accidents and I will never forget my eldest brother, Michael giving me a book entitled, The Coconut Oil Miracle, by Bruce Fife, C.N., N.D. https://g.christianbook.com/dg/product/cbd/f400/335440.jpg This began my "holistic medicine" seeking. After reading this book, I found solid ways to incorporate coconut oil into my dad and my husband's life. Shortly after, My dad received a clean bill of health at M.D.Anderson. His report showed" no evidence of cancer".We had experienced a "Miracle". My husbands surgery and recovery was a success and his scar reveals no keloids to this day. His strength, agility and stamina are a testament. Throughout this time, prayer was at the basis of treatment; but no doubt coconut oil played a front and center role in the healing and recovery of both my dad and husband. I graduated in 2006 as a Masters Prepared Nurse with honors. I sat yet again for Boards and passed. I became a Family Nurse Practitioner and began to practice in South Texas. I loved my practice days. It gave me great charge to be practicing in what I knew was my contribution to the world.

My days as a Registered Nurse in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

My "Nurse Aid' days.

My Nursing Mentor, Nat and I after I gave The Pinning Ceremony speech.

A gift and card from my Nursing mentor, Nat.

Me at my BSN graduation. I am wearing my stethoscope around my neck.

Todd and I after grauduating from my Masters program. He was still wheel-chair bound at this point and re-learning how to walk.

Todd after his knee reconstructive surgery and healing days.

Todd and my dad today!