Nursing student answers 9-11 call

Photo by Andrew Shurtleff

William J. Foronjy Jr.

By Katherine Jackson

William Joseph Foronjy Jr. had a big celebration planned for Sept. 11. It was his 30th birthday, and he was planning a night of serious partying with friends.

But that all changed. Word from family and friends in New York caught up in the chaos of the terrorist attacks led him to a night of cursing and crying.

Foronjy, from Long Island, will graduate from the School of Nursing on May 19 with a bachelor’s degree in nursing and a renewed passion for helping people.

“I was working with patients at Western State Hospital when I heard about the attacks. While watching the tragedy unfold on television, family members called.

My four cousins — all brothers, all New York firefighters — entered the World Trade Center. It collapsed. One brother, Timmy, was missing. Ten days later, the brothers carried Timmy’s flag-draped body from the wreckage.”

The outpouring of support and encouragement by faculty, staff and fellow students helped Foronjy to keep up with his demanding nursing school curriculum. “As I struggled through my grief, teachers responded, when appropriate, with hugs.

Several days after the attacks, I was so freaked out that I was barely able to move. Unable to continue my rounds, I was given time off,” he said.

“Timmy had given his life. The least I could do would be to drive to New York to help. For three days, pulling 12-hour shifts, I assisted inhalation and grief-stricken patients at New York University hospital. In between shifts, I lit candles in memory of lost Americans.”

Foronjy always wanted to help people. He earned a bachelor’s degree in English from State University of New York–Oneonta with plans to teach. He quickly realized four years of college does not necessarily provide students with the tools to instill lifelong learning in others.

“I needed more education. After my cousin Vinnie graduated from law school, my mother said, ‘Billy you are a great talker, go to law school.’

“I chose not to seek a career in law eventually because I saw no quality time with people,” he said.

Foronjy was admitted to the Nursing School’s second-degree program in September 2000. The two-year program offers a special bachelor of science in nursing degree for non-nurses with at least a bachelor’s degree in another area.

After graduation, he will have completed his two-year educational leave from the military. He then plans to complete active duty at the Walter Reed Army Hospital in Washington.

Inspired by firefighters and others at Ground Zero in New York — and supportive faculty and staff at U.Va. — Foronjy plans to return to U.Va. to pursue a nursing career.

“As a nurse, I am interested in more than financial gains. I am interested in physical and emotional growth and improvement of health.”