Humans of UNAC/UHCP: Semanu Mawugbe, RN
When I arrived in California in 1987, I knew it would be tough, but I didn’t realize how much my upbringing in Ghana had prepared me. My mother always said, ‘Be kind and compassionate, no matter who you meet,’ and that stayed with me. It shaped my life, my work, and ultimately, my career in nursing.
“When I arrived in California in 1987, I knew it would be tough, but I didn’t realize how much my upbringing in Ghana had prepared me. My mother always said, ‘Be kind and compassionate, no matter who you meet,’ and that stayed with me. It shaped my life, my work, and ultimately, my career in nursing.
“My family has always been my foundation, especially my wife. We spent nine long years apart before she joined me in the U.S. in 1997. Before I returned to Ghana to bring her here, I asked, ‘Has anything changed? Are you seeing someone?’ She laughed. ‘That’s the dumbest question anyone’s ever asked me. I’ve been waiting for you.’
“I flew back as soon as I could. We got married, and when she finally arrived, she was nine months pregnant. A few weeks later, we had our first child. Life wasn’t easy, but we built something strong together.
“Even during those hard days, I had my eye on Kaiser. I’d heard great things about their programs and knew I wanted to be there. In 2008, I got my first position at Kaiser Panorama City as a medical-surgical orthopedic nurse. It was demanding—pain management, blood transfusions, post-surgery patients needing help—but I told myself, If I can survive this, it will prepare me for something better.
“Through it all, I held on to what my family taught me: Treat everyone with kindness and compassion. My patients tend to remember me as ‘the tall, skinny nurse from Africa who cared and listened.’ That meant being present, even on the hardest days.
“My wife, Eugenia, is a nurse too, and we’re a little competitive. If she forgets something during her shift, I might let it slide. But if I miss something? She won’t let me off the hook! Despite our ‘rivalry,’ she’s my biggest supporter. ‘Be the voice for people who need it,’ she tells me, especially in my union work.
“I visit Ghana every couple of years to check on my siblings and, most importantly, my mother. My father passed away after I finished nursing school, but my mother is still alive and sharp. There’s no substitute for sitting with her, hearing her voice, and being reminded of what’s important. Every visit fills me with a renewed sense of purpose. She still tells me to be kind and compassionate, just like when I was a boy. Now that she’s older, I plan to go back more often—every year if I can—to show her how much she means to me.
“After more than 17 years at Kaiser, I’m proud of what we’ve built—in nursing and in the union. Every patient I care for, every member I represent, it’s always about helping others.
“That’s what my mother taught me, what my wife reminds me of every day, and what keeps me going.”
—Semanu Mawugbe, RN, is a member of the UNAC/UHCP Board of Directors and a local affiliate officer at Kaiser Permanente Panorama City