Each year, students arrive at Palm Beach Atlantic University (PBA) with exceptional backstories. Originally from Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Charles Ressemble is a nursing student in his junior year at PBA who enrolled with a dream of helping those in need as a medical professional.
“If I’m ever in a position where I can help and give back to those in need, or those that are suffering and in vulnerable positions, I will do it,” Ressemble said.
Ressemble and his family immigrated from Haiti to the United States in 2013 to pursue a better life, where Ressemble could have access to more educational and career opportunities. After attending Palm Beach State College for two years, he began PBA’s nursing program. However, long before starting his journey at PBA, Ressemble experienced a life-altering natural disaster that shaped his passion for helping others.
An Earthquake That Changed His Life
On Tuesday, January 12, 2012, Port-au-Prince, Haiti was hit with a 7.0 magnitude earthquake. It caused catastrophic damage to the already impoverished area surrounding the Haitian capital. The natural disaster wreaked havoc on the poorly constructed infrastructure, collapsing buildings and wrecking power lines, putting Ressemble, his two brothers, and the rest of their community in a near-death scenario.
On the day of the earthquake, Ressemble and his brothers were at home with other adults from their local community. When the shaking began, their first response was to pray. Eventually, Ressemble and his brothers began to run. He described his cousin pushing his brother out of the way when a block nearly fell on him, getting injured in the heroic act. According to Ressemble, the scene was intense and surreal.
“The earth is shaking, and it feels like the world just stops moving,” Ressemble said. “A lot of people lost their lives. You’re seeing dead bodies as you’re walking.”
With the power lines down, Ressemble and his brothers weren’t able to contact their parents for about five hours. Even after they were finally reunited, tremors continued into the next day and the danger continued.
“I actually thought the world was ending, to be honest with you,” Ressemble said.
About a week later, helicopters arrived in Haiti, dropping boxes of food to the people below. Eventually, tents were provided for those who lost their homes, including Ressemble and his family. The few structures that remained standing were at risk of crumbling any minute and the area was unsafe for anyone to reside in.
A Silver Lining
Ressemble and his family endured these conditions through the month of January. The next month, Ressemble encountered another transformative situation. Born with pyloric stenosis, he had undergone recurring abdominal issues that continually required treatment. Eventually, Ressemble’s family could no longer afford treatment for his medical condition. After an influx of doctors arrived in Haiti to aid earthquake victims, Ressemble was hospitalized for his condition in February. After multiple hospital visits, Ressemble was able to finally receive the surgery he needed.
“The earthquake was a bad thing. Because of it, though, a lot of aid and support came to Haiti, like doctors and nurses,” Ressemble said.
After such an experience, Ressemble knew he wanted to spend his life helping others. Specifically, he wants to be a post-anesthesia care unit (PCAU) nurse so he can care for patients post-surgery, in the way he was cared for after his own surgery.
“The nurses after my surgery, they took great care of me and definitely inspired me to do what they do,” Ressemble said.
Using God’s Faithfulness as Motivation
Ressemble was candid about the academic rigor of the nursing program but turns to God’s faithfulness in his life as motivation. In one instance, Ressemble found himself entering an exam with two options: score a 96% or get cut from the program. With stakes that high, Ressemble turned to prayer to manage his nerves.
“I always seek prayer. I always pray to calm me down, and it always helps me,” Ressemble said. “I just kept thinking about the journey of coming here and everything that occurred, and I just remain faithful.”
As challenging as his courses can be, Ressemble expressed gratitude for his life position.
“I always think that there are people in Haiti right now, students who are smart enough, but they may not have an opportunity in this life,” Ressemble said. “I think about that when I’m in my times of struggles. I’m blessed to be here and I’m super grateful.”
When comparing his opportunities in the U.S. to those in Haiti, Ressemble described a drastic difference. According to Ressemble, educational opportunities in Haiti depend almost entirely on who your parents are and where they can afford to send you to school.
Keeping Haiti in Mind
Despite the distance between himself and his home, Ressemble keeps Haiti in mind in his academic and volunteer work. He volunteers at the Tree of Life Foundation, a nonprofit that assists families and individuals in need with the proper resources through partnerships with local businesses and organizations. He found the nonprofit unexpectedly while attending a community clinical one day.
“I was attending clinical that day and it brought back all the memories of my life at home, and that day was remarkable,” Ressemble said.
Dr. Kathy McKinnon, an associate professor of Nursing at PBA, served alongside Ressemble that day and was deeply moved by both his backstory and the way he lives his life now.
“We were packing boxes of food for people in our community, and he began to share his story with me,” McKinnon said. “He currently takes care of his mom who is sick, working a full-time job to provide for their needs, and he is a full-time student.”
McKinnon expressed her confidence that Charles has the heart and work ethic to be a nurse that effectively cares for his patients.
“He is an excellent student both with his academics and his willingness to participate and provide patient care in the clinical setting,” McKinnon said. ““If I was a patient, I would be honored to have Charles as my nurse one day.”
To learn more about Palm Beach Atlantic University’s nursing program, click here.
