A young African-American woman fulfills her dream and establishes a record as New York’s first registered nurse to use a wheelchair.
Andrea Dalzell, a young African-American lady, has achieved her lifetime goal of becoming a nurse. In New York, she became the first registered nurse in the United States to use a wheelchair.
According to her website, Brooklyn, New York resident Andrea was diagnosed at the age of five with transverse myelitis, an inflammation of the spinal cord that results in discomfort, muscle weakness, and paralysis.
She began using a wheelchair at the age of twelve due to her health’s dire circumstances. Andrea, however, refused to let her diagnosis dictate her course in life. The City University of New York, College of Staten Island, United States, awarded her a degree.
In 2018, she became a licensed nurse after passing her nursing exams and other requirements with flying colors. She remarked, “I was the first wheelchair user in the state to graduate with a credential, according to New York State’s nursing board.”
According to Andrea, overcoming obstacles to persuade hospital officials that she could perform the responsibilities of a wheelchair-bound nurse has made life difficult since graduation.
Sometimes, nurse managers believed that having a person in a wheelchair on the floor was more of a burden. I had to explain to them that teamwork is more important than bedside treatment. Before you know what I am capable of, don’t judge me,” she added.
She persevered in spite of the difficulties, working as a case manager, health director, and in-school nurse to make ends meet. But she persisted in going to interviews in order to fulfill her dream of becoming a registered nurse.
Andrea’s perseverance paid off after 76 interviews, and she was eventually hired as a registered nurse. She was employed as New York State’s first wheelchair-bound registered nurse.
I believe I understand that a disability might be a death sentence, which is why I eventually desire a bedside nurse post. “You give them a whole new will to live if you can be that one person who walks into a room and changes their mindset about that,” she said.
In addition to being a nurse, Andrea is an outspoken supporter of people with disabilities. After being elected Ms. Wheelchair New York, she promoted her message and conviction that those with disabilities can lead fulfilling lives by using her title and platform, Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Access.
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She has received accolades and recognition for her advocacy work, including the Craig H. Neilsen Visionary Prize and New Mobility’s Person of the Year award in 2021. Additionally, Andrea has been in national television ads for well-known American firms.
The well-known electronics corporation Apple is one of the brands. Andrea claimed that after she appeared in a fashion show in New York and a body image social media campaign, Apple contacted her.
She explained, “They asked me to be in an Apple Watch ad to show how the fitness feature helped me with my boxing and physical training.” Over two million people have watched the commercial both online and on television.
Andrea gave advice to people in similar circumstances to her own, particularly those pursuing a job or goal, saying they should start somewhere and use social media effectively.
You can start small, and we can use the Internet to connect with local communities and offer support. Anyone who has been in your shoes or who could offer assistance can be found on social media. Locate a group or message board and ask a question there. “Start somewhere,” she said.
“Just try if anyone else has the same desire to do something they’re unsure they can, as I did at one point. And if someone says no, don’t listen to them; instead, find another route,” she continued.
Andrea credits her success to the lessons she gained from her modest upbringing in a kind, encouraging family who instilled in her the importance of perseverance and not letting a physical obstacle deter her aspirations.
