Abigail Dancel was always going to be a nurse – no matter what!

“It was non-negotiable in my life,” explains the Registered Nurse at Uniting AgeWell Preston Community. “I’ve been passionate about nursing ever since I can remember. It’s all I’ve ever wanted to do.”

She’s been at Preston (and previously the old Carnsworth site) for nearly 21 years and is still loving her role. “This is the only permanent job I’ve had in my life – I never want to leave!” she says.

But it was not all smooth sailing. She left the Philippines with her family as a 17-year-old schoolgirl and arrived in Melbourne fluent in Tagalog and Ilocano but unable to speak much English. She was also very unhappy about leaving her high school boyfriend behind and having to repeat a year in school here.

“I’d sit in class and not understand a single word the teacher was saying,” Abigail explains. “I pretty much hated my life at the time.”

However, she knew deep down that coming here was the right thing to do. Her Aunt, who sponsored the family, is a nurse who encouraged and inspired Abigail to pursue her lifelong dream of nursing.

Because Abigail could not afford university fees she started work as a Personal Care Worker, determined to use this as a stepping stone to study nursing. She had not been at Uniting AgeWell for long before the staff and residents started to feel like a second family to her.

“They accepted and encouraged me,” Abigail says. “I felt like I belonged. I did not feel like an outsider.”

A few years in, she found out that Uniting AgeWell was offering unique support to Personal Care Workers to further their careers. This helped make advancing Abigail’s qualifications possible.

First Abigail worked towards qualifying as an Enrolled Nurse and a few years down the line studied further to become a Registered Nurse.

Her face lights up as she describes the joy she feels in providing care to residents. “I give them the best care possible, and I absolutely love knowing I am making a difference to their lives. It’s great to be able to get to know them, to chat to them and hear the wonderful stories of their lives.”

Her commitment to nurse at Uniting AgeWell has never waned. “I’m here eight hours a day, and everyone at Preston feels like family to me.”

Things on the home front have blossomed too. Her high school sweetheart joined her in Australia shortly after she arrived, they later married and have two daughters – aged 18 and 12.

Abigail glows like someone who has found their life’s purpose – and that’s nursing.