Cardiff Widow, 44, Earns Nursing Degree 5 Years After Husband's Covid Death
Updated
Updated · bbc.co.uk · Jul 23
Cardiff Widow, 44, Earns Nursing Degree 5 Years After Husband's Covid Death
3 articles · Updated · bbc.co.uk · Jul 23
Summary
Rachel Ohene-Adjei, 44, graduated last week with a nursing degree after her husband Eric died in 2021 following seven weeks in intensive care at Cardiff's University Hospital of Wales.
The care Eric received during his Covid illness pushed her to retrain, starting with GCSE maths and English, then an access course, before completing university nursing studies.
Rachel is now chasing one of three newly applied-for roles after missing out in the first NHS job-matching round, insisting she "won't give up" despite tighter hiring.
Nearly 400 nursing and midwifery graduates were still without NHS posts after the first round of job matching in Wales, underscoring the tougher backdrop to her job search.
Her story also reflects a personal rebuilding effort: she balanced study with raising three children and said she pursued nursing partly to show them that setbacks and age need not block ambition.