The spark to create BreatheWell Inspiration ignited in 2008—with no name, no office, and no classes in mind. All I had was an intriguing idea—an idea that caught the attention of every colleague I spoke with.
At that time, I was working as a nurse in Pulmonary at Seattle Children’s Hospital and taking care of both the outpatient and inpatient children and families served by the department. It was the best job ever, no doubt. I was able to connect with the families and the home care community in wonderful ways, and I had the opportunity to work with legislators on how the State of Washington could do better by these families. I had wonderful colleagues and mentors—people I still treasure and admire.
Despite being the best job ever, I was distracted by conversations with the caregivers I interacted with in the hospital and over the phone…they needed more information on medically complex caregiving. They needed more information on tracheostomy/ventilator care. The rolling education I received needed to reach these caregivers—so they had access to the same information. This was my guiding light to create what has now become BreatheWell Inspiration. I want to share my education with others.
Fast forward to Spring of 2023. I still carried the dream of being a nurse educator, but I was nervous and a little hesitant to take the big leap from a comfortable nurse case manager job at the hospital to being a new business owner. What did I know about starting and owning a business? Nothing at all, but I needed to either take the leap or forget about it. Ultimately, I needed to try because I would have always wondered what could have been—if I decided to not act. So, I took the leap and gave my notice in August 2023 and I’ve remained confident in this decision.
I really hope BreatheWell Inspiration becomes successful and I’m giving it my all. I’ve been rewarded, challenged, disappointed, happy, worried, irritated, and nervous—sometimes all of these in the same hour, but I always keep pushing forward. I want BreatheWell to operate in all 50 states and three other countries, that’s all, but not as a get rich quick scheme—more as a community service, while still paying the rent. For now, I’ll focus on the Federal Way office and give every student the best information on how to keep technology-dependent patients comfortable at home and cared for with minimal to no distress—to help them become more confident in their skills with providing the best routine and emergent care all day, every day.
For those who’ve already attended classes, thank you for your time, commitment, and energy to invest in how to be a great caregiver for the medically complex community. I’m learning from you too and it’s an honor to be able to educate and get to know all of you. We are people helping people and they deserve the best care that we can give them—the kind to help everyone breathe easier. This is the beginning of BreatheWell Inspiration.
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