Daughter Becomes Trauma Nurse After Father is Killed in Lewiston

Bethany Welch was just about graduate from the University of Connecticut's nursing program when something tragic and unexpected happened to her. According to News Center Maine, her father's life was taking during the mass shooting that occurred in Lewiston, Maine.

Her father, Joseph Walker, was one of the 18 victims who lost their lives in the Lewiston mass shooting on that dreaded day of October 25.

This tragedy took everything from her, and changed everything as well. She told her dad her hopes, goals, and dreams, and she received this heartbreaking news while she was at school in Connecticut.

Her Mom called her and told her that her beloved father had been shot at Schemengees Bar & Grille Restaurant.

"My mom was on the phone screaming and sobbing. 'Dad's been hit, he's been shot.' I just started screaming like, 'I want my dad, I want my dad,'" said Bethany, according to News Center Maine.

As the article states, the following month felt like a blur, but Bethany remembered her dad's advice: focus on what you can control.

She became so overcome and inspired by his words, that she returned to her studies with a newfound determination and major.

Bethany has always wanted to help people, and her dad's influence pushed her to pursue a career in nursing. Witnessing the strength of first responders and the care given to survivors from that dreaded day further solidified her decision. She decided to specialize in trauma nursing.

She is now working at the Yale Hospital's emergency department. Bethany is driven by her father's memory, saying,

I think since after all of this, there is this fire lit, I want to achieve all this stuff. ... It's an honor to my dad, I don't think I ever want to stop. ... Even in the afterlife, he is my angel now.

She has a desire to make a difference, and she carries a tattoo of Maine, her father's birthplace, as a constant reminder of him.

His legacy fuels her determination to succeed and honor him every day.