A mother’s story: teaching determination by example

Oncology nurse’s hard work inspires daughters



LOVE THEIR MOM—Patricia Gariano, center, with her daughters Laura Harman, left, and Krista Shue, who credit their mom’s influence with helping themfind their paths in life. Gariano went back to school to earn a nursing degree when her daughters were 10 and 14. She has been an oncology nurse for over 20 years. Courtesy photo

LOVE THEIR MOM—Patricia Gariano, center, with her daughters Laura Harman, left, and Krista Shue, who credit their mom’s influence with helping themfind their paths in life. Gariano went back to school to earn a nursing degree when her daughters were 10 and 14. She has been an oncology nurse for over 20 years. Courtesy photo

Many who’ve endured chemotherapy in the greater Conejo Valley area were most likely under the watchful eye and compassionate care of Patricia Gariano.

The nurse of more than 20 years has cared for thousands of cancer patients since she began her career in oncology in the mid-1990s.

“It makes me really feel blessed and humbled that I could do a little bit to make it easier for (my patients) during the hard time they’re going through. They’re the heroes, not me,” said Gariano, a 63-year-old Simi Valley resident who works at Adventist Health Physicians Network in Thousand Oaks.

Before she became “one of the most influential nurses in the Conejo Valley,” as her daughter Krista Shue put it, Gariano was a medical assistant raising her two daughters with her husband, Eddie, in Thousand Oaks.

“My mother was our biggest supporter and cheerleader,” said Shue, a 43-year-old Moorpark resident. “She always believed in us and anything we would try. She would let us try, not always succeed, then learn and become stronger individuals.”

This is something Shue said she tries to do with her three daughters, a 13-year-old and 10-year-old twins.

Gariano inspired her second daughter, Laura Harman, to find her passion for cooking and taught Harman to be kind and respectful to people “from all walks of life.”

“She taught me to always think about other people’s feelings and how they would feel if you talked badly about them,” 39-year-old Harman said. “My mother is such a naturally good-hearted person that if someone were to say something bad about her, you wouldn’t believe them. (She is) a genuinely good person without being judgmental about people’s differences.”

While she was teaching life lessons to her children, Gariano returned to school in 1990—when her daughters were 10 and 14 years old—to earn her associate degree in nursing.

She went on to earn a master’s degree in nursing and to become a certified oncology nurse.

“My parents were both physicians and I always wanted to do something in the medical field,” Gariano said. “My aunt passed away from pancreatic cancer and I wasn’t able to be there. I decided to study oncology when I decided to be a nurse.”

After working for a short time at Los Robles Hospital, Gariano joined Adventist Health Physicians Network in 1998, where she worked with Dr. Harry Menco for 20 years.

Today she works there with Menco’s partner, Dr. Samuel Slomowitz. Each day Gariano sees 10 to 20 patients during her 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. shifts. She also visits patients in her off hours to check up on them or to say goodbye to those who will not make it through the night.

“Just last Friday, she treated 22 patients just herself,” Shue said. “My mom goes into work early and stays late nearly every single day, full time. For chemo treatments, some go for hours, so there is no leaving for lunch except a handful of times per year. To her, it is all just about her patients.”

Their mom’s hard work and determination inspired her daughters to diligently pursue their chosen career paths.

“Her work ethic has had such a tremendous impact on my career over the years,” said Shue, a business and marketing executive in the music industry. “It’s all about working your hardest, your best and making a difference, even if it means going against the norm.”

The same is true for Harman who followed in her mother’s footsteps to become a certified registered nurse anesthetist in Los Angeles.

Gariano also taught her children and her four grandchildren to treat everyone with dignity and kindness, which is something she exemplifies each day as a nurse.

“She is like an angel to her patients. She is the most gentle and genuinely loving nurse,” Harman said. “She is definitely someone you’d want to take care of you in your time of need. . . . She has a way about her that just makes you feel at ease, comforted and loved.”

Shue said she hopes to reflect her mother’s gentleness and patience in her own actions.

“She is the most caring and selfless person I know. I only dream of ever having that impact on a life,” Shue said.

Although Gariano dedicates much of her time to her career, she also makes sure to speak to her “best friends,” her daughters, every day.

Harman had her first child, a son, last September, and talking to her mother has been especially important since then.

“She’s been a wonderful mentor to me in motherhood. I love that I can ask her anything, no matter how silly or serious it is,” Harman said. “I feel very supported by my mother.”

The new experience for Harman helped bring Shue, Gariano and Harman even closer together than they were before.

“We were always close and had an open relationship, but now that they’re both mothers it’s really special,” Gariano said. “I’m really blessed that I have such a wonderful family and I’ve been able to do this job.”

Gariano and her husband, Eddie, the owner of Thousand Oaks Fish & Chips, have been married for more than 40 years.

“My parents are still together and it’s because they are a team and truly support each other; they laugh together and put each other and the family first,” Shue said.