How Volunteering at CURE Changed Cassie’s Life

“I don’t want to go back to my everyday life in America. I don’t want to forget what I saw and did in Kenya. I want my life to be transformed! There are still families that can’t afford medical care.” – Cassie

Cassie’s CURE adventure started as a freshman in high school when she volunteered at CURE Kenya and CURE Uganda with her parents. As a non-medical volunteer, she mostly played with the kids, but her interest in the medical field was sparked. When the CURE Storytellers conducted interviews with the children and their families, Cassie was there witnessing the interactions and saw the immediate differences being made in their lives, both physically and spiritually. 

 “You deal with people in a vulnerable way. They are scared. You come alongside them and help them through it,” Cassie explained. “It is different at CURE hospitals. The spiritual aspect greatly differentiates care at CURE.”

Cassie was prompted by her visits to CURE hospitals to go into the medical field. She pursued an undergraduate degree in physical therapy because she thought it would be more fun than nursing. A college internship was needed to complete her degree, and she spent 7 weeks in Kenya to complete this internship requirement. While there, she found herself gravitating toward the operating room and was fascinated by the patient transformations she witnessed there.  

“I found that my favorite parts about my time in the hospital are doing castings and spending time in the operating room. PT’s don’t do either of these things in the U.S. I’ve been thinking about maybe changing directions professionally, and I found myself looking at surgical nursing.”

Cassie liked nurses’ hands-on approach to healing and the variety of tasks they are assigned. “It’s not the same thing each day,” she said. One of the events that influenced Cassie into becoming a nurse was when a little girl and her mom came to be treated at a CURE hospital and needed extra help. The mom told Miriam, the CURE nurse, that they were not going to eat for several days because they had traveled far to get to the hospital and didn’t have any food left. Miriam responded by extending an invitation to them to eat at her home while they were at CURE. She took care of them even beyond the hospital setting.

“CURE International genuinely loves the children they treat and they will do everything in their power to make sure their patients get the best care available. I hope that wherever I end up one day that I can bring this same attitude.”

With her senior year of college left to complete, Cassie was considering a change in direction for her career. She prayed for guidance as to changing her career path from physical therapy to nursing. 

“God is in control of my life, He goes before me, and He will never let me go. Physical therapy is not where God is calling me right now, and I’m so glad He is showing me how to trust in his greater plan. I’m going to be a nurse!” 

Cassie finished her undergraduate degree in physical therapy in 2013 and entered an accelerated nursing program the following year. She worked as a nurse in the United States until 2019, when she decided to stay home full-time and care for her son. 

Cassie is married to Luke and has a son, Jonathon. She stays in touch with CURE and has volunteered her time often at the CURE booth at the Global Missions Health Conference. 

The Global Missions Health Conference (GMHC) was a terrific inspiration to me on my journey to becoming a nurse and again as a new RN. I loved being surrounded by other medical professionals with a similar desire to serve God in the work being done around the world. It greatly impacted my work as a nurse to care for the whole person the way Christ serves his Church.

Cassie changed her path and answered a call to serve others in a foreign place. We are glad she followed this path and chose to volunteer with CURE. She has made a difference in the world through her faith, love for others, and dedication to children in need.

It was scary to answer my call to Kenya with no idea what was in store. It’s still scary now that I’m home to take on the responsibility of sharing my experiences and telling everyone about the need I saw. But God gives me the same strength He gave Christ. So, I won’t turn back.