When her 14-year-old son passed away with cancer, Josephine Lokai was determined to become a nurse. She was further motivated by seeing the lack of available care for end-of-life patients in her home country, Kenya.
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Josephine Lokai graduated with a bachelor's degree in nursing, which she started during the pandemic.
Ms Lokai celebrated her graduation with her 14-year-old daughter Ashley and her 19-year-old son Aaron.
Ms Lokai's first-born son Arnold was a happy 14-year-old who loved to play basketball but he fell sick while they were in Kenya. The treatment he received while in end-of-life care made Ms Lokai aware of gaps in the healthcare system.
Arnold's diagnosis was a surprise to Ms Lokai and she spent a long time traveling from her village to the city to figure out what was wrong with her son.
"He was in and out of school because of an asthma-related complication," Ms Lokai said.
Arnold's Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma diagnosis cancer was delayed due to a lack of healthcare expertise and issues with machines.
"We don't have enough expertise. I had to drive all the way from the village and my son was looked at by 11 doctors," Ms Lokai said.
Arnold was diagnosed at the end stage of Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. In a shock to his family, he died just seven months after his diagnosis.
When she arrived in Australia in 2018 Ms Lokai was determined to study a nursing degree to empower herself with the skills to help patients and their families.
"With the experience that I had I would like to champion end-of-life (care) in Africa, because in the developing world we don't talk about end-of-life care," Ms Lokai said.
"My degree has enhanced my caring approach and developed a lot of empathy for families ... I'm looking forward to venture into ecology and hematology in the future,"
Ms Lokai launched the Arnold Cancer Foundation which is currently supporting families affected by cancer in Kenya.
Ultimately Ms Lokai wants to complete a more specialised master's degree so she can build a cancer centre in Kenya.
"If I get a sponsorship, I would like to get into a master's of oncology and hematology to empower my skills and knowledge," Ms Lokai said.
Studying during the pandemic was also difficult for Ms Lokai as she worked during the outbreaks which affected thousands of Canberrans.
"COVID came with a lot fear of unknown because I didn't know what would happen and then our classes went online. We had to go to practical labs to do these practical examinations," Ms Lokai said.
"There was a lot of anxiety about studying online, it was very difficult."
Ms Lokai is graduating with vast practical experience, having worked at a nursing home during the pandemic and the University of Canberra hospital while she was studying.
She has also been selected for a graduate program at Clare Holland House, is an inpatient palliative care unit caring for people with life-threatening illnesses.
Ms Lokai's biggest piece of advice for new nursing students is to study with passion and ensure they are placing themselves in the shoes of their patients.
"I would ask students to do it with passion and purpose."
