Strong Faith Moves Student to Help Others in Medical Field

“As a Christian, my inspiration to take care of others comes from God,” says Adina Gabriela Martis, who is about to graduate from the Respiratory Therapy program in Rancho Cordova. And, with her family’s loving encouragement and her own personal commitment to “help others feel better”, she is well on her way to a life of service in the medical field.

When Gabi (as most people call her) first started the RT program she was surprised at the many aspects of Respiratory Therapy and at how many people were affected. This meant she would have patients of all ages, backgrounds and life experiences to work with. “I didn’t realize how many lives I could help,” says Gabi. Once she got into specialty treatment therapies, she found a particular area of interest. “I love the cardio-pulmonary area; heart and lungs are such a vital part of our lives,” she says.

Throughout her training in this intensive 18-month program, her husband, Emanuel’s voice, along with those of her parents, Ben and Rodica, echoed encouragement. “My husband kept telling me, ‘Never give up; you’re smart, you can do it,'” says Gabi. “And, my parents kept saying, ‘Get a good education and follow your dream.'” She listened very intently.

One of the best moments in Gabi’s training came when she was in clinical rotation in an intensive care unit. She was trying to comfort a man who was clearly in distress, but unable to communicate his discomfort because he was intubated (tube inserted down his throat). She remembered her non-verbal communication training of asking yes and no questions to which the patient was asked to blink once for ‘yes’ and twice for ‘no’. When she realized that he was trying to tell her he was thirsty, she repeatedly dampened his palate with a cool, moist sponge until his parched throat was relieved.

Gabi spends a lot of her scant free time volunteering at hospitals and elder care facilities. She currently volunteers in the Cardiac Telemetry Unit at Mercy San Juan Hospital and the Norris Villa retirement facility, where she brings comfort to grateful residents by doing their nails or just talking with them about whatever interests them.

Gabi knows that she is in the right profession, but wants to immerse herself even deeper. “Respiratory Therapy will make me happy, but I also want to go back to school and get my Bachelor’s,” she says. “There is a large Spanish population here, so I’d also like to become proficient in Spanish,” says Gabi, who has already had 4-years of Spanish language classes.

With graduation coming in just a couple of months Gabi has a word of advice for those struggling to complete their program at SJVC: “Just keep at it. Hard work and dedication always pays off. And, just remember that tough situations always make us come out stronger.”