Ogden Regional nurse changes careers at 40, keeping promise to dying mom
Gina Corry, 44, of West Haven, wanted to be a nurse as far back as she can remember. "In elementary school, the teacher handed out a piece of paper and asked us to write down what we wanted to be when we grew up," she says. "I wrote nurse." That dream stayed alive through high school, where she did some emergency medical technician (EMT) training. However, when she filled out the application for the local nursing college, Gina realized the cost of a nursing degree was beyond her reach.
"I was 18, had very little money saved, and was still living with my parents, so I wasn’t eligible for financial aid," Gina said. "I thought, 'Well, there goes that dream.' I regret not pursuing my nursing degree back then, even if it meant taking out a student loan."
Instead, she attended beauty school, married, and had four boys. "I did hair for 25 years," she says. "I also did some personal training and managed a gym where I ran boot camp classes."
A promise kept
Gina’s career path changed at the end of 2020 when the Corry family relocated to West Haven. This move also placed her much closer to her parents, which was a blessing, as both were facing serious health issues. Gina’s dad was battling cancer, while her mom had diabetes and was suffering from stage four kidney disease.
"My mom kept getting sicker and sicker," Gina said. "She had to have dialysis multiple times a week. One day, while my dad was at a doctor's appointment, my mom fell and hit her head, causing a fatal brain hemorrhage. We rushed her to Ogden Regional, where the doctor said he’d never seen a white blood cell count so high. She wouldn’t survive surgery, so it was just a matter of time."
Gina, her dad, and her sisters spent several nights at her mom’s hospital bedside. Gina finally told them to go home and get some sleep.
"We didn’t want her to pass away alone," Gina said. "I just sat with her, held her hand, and talked to her. I knew she could hear me since hearing is the last sense to go. I told her she was an amazing mom and that I loved her. I told her, 'Every choice I make from now on will be to make you proud.' I promised her I would fulfill my childhood dream of becoming a nurse."
Gina’s parents had always been homebodies, so they decided to bring her mom home for as long as she had left.
"My mom passed away as we pulled into their driveway," said Gina. "It was January 2021. I kept my promise, registered for nursing school, and started the following month, right after my 40th birthday."
Gina achieved her RN degree and was hired to work in the ER at Ogden Regional in September 2024. She will graduate in December 2025 with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN). Her application for tuition assistance – a program that Ogden Regional participates in through its parent company, HCA Healthcare – has been accepted. Qualifying colleagues can also apply for other financial aid, including student loan assistance and merit-based higher education grants.
Family tradition
Gina’s new career is everything she dreamed of, despite sacrificing some time with her boys, who are now 20, 17, 14, and 11.
"I’m doing what I love and trying to make my parents proud," she says simply. "I work with amazing people who I love. I like the fast pace of the ER and providing critical care to patients. It’s been a steep learning curve, and I’m still learning a lot."
But, medicine is in her DNA.
"My dad was an Air Force medic in Vietnam," Gina explained. "He was always my biggest cheerleader. I did my nursing capstone in the ER at Ogden Regional Medical Center, and we would share medical stories. He passed away two weeks before my final in my last semester of nursing school."
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Gina’s husband and boys are now her biggest supporters. And one of them may be going into the family business.
"My second son wants to go to medical school. He’s in high school and taking extra classes so he can graduate with his associate's degree. He’s also currently working as a CNA at a veteran’s home," says Gina. "My youngest sometimes asks if I’m done with school yet, but they are all so supportive and proud."
Gina’s boys have had a front-row seat to their mom’s inspiring midlife career change.
"I worked really, really hard — that’s for dang sure," she says. "But if I’m going to do something, I’m going to do it to the best of my ability. And I can’t see myself doing anything else."