Cancer doesn't stop PBSC grad from achieving nursing dreams

After working as a licensed practical nurse for 11 years, Elizabeth Lubin decided to advance her career and become a registered nurse. She enrolled in PBSC’s Nursing program in January 2020, excited for the new chapter. However, that same month, a routine health screening revealed she had cancer.

“When it happened, I thought ‘How am I supposed to go forward?’” Lubin said. “I didn’t know what the future held.”

Lubin, a 37-year-old mother of four, decided to advance her career to set a strong example for her children. As a first-generation college student, she hoped to inspire them by showing them the value of pursuing higher education and working hard. Because of this, she was determined to stay in the Nursing program for as long as possible.  However, after consulting with her oncologist, she made the difficult decision to withdraw during her first semester to prioritize her health.

“I tried to press through the first semester of nursing school,” Lubin said. “But at the time, the oncologist told me I needed to focus on being the patient, rather than trying to further my career and being the nurse.”

The following months were filled with doctor’s visits, PET scans and surgery. Fortunately, the cancer was caught early enough that Lubin did not require chemotherapy or radiation, but the treatments still took a toll on her body.

With the support of her family, Lubin returned to PBSC in August 2020, determined to finish what she had started. She pushed herself to work hard, and her grades excelled. She also completed an externship at West Boca Medical Center, which helped her decide on a nursing specialty, all while continuing her battle with cancer.

Lubin kept her diagnosis private from most instructors and classmates, but one of the few who knew was nursing professor Winsome Vassell, EdD. Lubin thanks Vassell and other PBSC faculty and staff for pushing her to achieve the best education possible while also recognizing that students face personal struggles. 

“Elizabeth’s story is a true testimony of perseverance and dedication,” Vassell said. “She was selfish with her education by not allowing her bad days to rob her of her dreams. She woke up from her dream and made it a reality.” In May 2022, Lubin graduated magna cum laude with her Associate in Science degree in Nursing and chose to stay at PBSC to pursue her Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN). She earned her BSN in December 2024 and is now a registered nurse in the emergency room at Broward Health North. Although she continues to see her oncologist every few months for treatments, she remains determined to further her education and eventually become a nurse practitioner.

Lubin believes her experience with cancer has made her a more empathetic nurse, allowing her to relate to patients and provide them with better care.

“Because I've been through it, I feel like I have a better understanding and it makes me just have more empathy,” Lubin said. “I look at them how some nurses have looked at me. Like we're going to get through this, and I just give them all support.”

Lubin now feels confident in her ability to persevere through anything. She encourages others facing serious health challenges to never give up on their education and to keep pushing forward. “Don't let that limit you.

Don’t think that that's a sign for you to give up,” Lubin said. “Just look at it as something for you to push through. Instead of asking questions like ‘Why is this happening to me?’, start questioning, ‘Why not me?’ I know that if I was able to get through it, you can get through it too.”