National Nurses Week Highlight - Mary Paige Cokerham, RN

Mary Paige Cokerham was driving home with her husband after the funeral of a relatively young family member when she told him something that was on her bucket list. 

She said she wanted to be a nurse, and he encouraged her to go for it. 

“I told him I would wait until the kids got older,” Mary Paige said. She was a stay-at-home mom and their children were homeschooled. Her husband responded, “No, go ahead and do it now.”  

That’s when, she says, she started the grand adventure of college. Luckily, she had a lot of family support. 

Mary Paige is no stranger to hard work: she worked in the service industry managing bars and restaurants, and was also a police officer. While in nursing school, Mary Paige said the oncology field jumped out at her. 

“You’d think this is just going to be so heavy and burdensome. And it's not, it's not at all. People are vibrant and living with intention every day and there’s a huge support system,” she said. 

“The technology is just amazing. And nowadays there's a lot of hope in oncology care and it's always changing, there’s always new and upcoming things.” 

She says she brings her faith to work with her and felt called to come work at Mays Cancer Center, home to UT Health San Antonio MD Anderson Cancer Center, almost two years ago. Less than six months into the job, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. 

Mary Paige says her coworkers were very supportive throughout her surgeries and time off — something she’ll always be grateful for. She is now cancer free. 

“I only tell patients if it’s pertinent, but it definitely brings a different perspective of relating with them.” 

Her advice to others wanting to try something new with their careers or lives is that it’s never too late to change. 

“Do something new, be bold and get out there,” Mary Paige says. “And hopefully they have good support like I did, because I love what I do.” 

Thank you for sharing your skills and serving others, Mary Paige!