Aiding our Troops back to Health
Every Wednesday, I will share a resident of the South Bay contributing to making our community a better place.
Today’s WCW title belongs to Sarah Tuflija who is a Certified Surgical Technologist (CST) at the Veteran Affairs Hospital in Long Beach.
Sarah, 26, grew up in North Torrance and graduated from North High school in 2007. Upon graduating from North High, Sarah spent some time in community college where she realized she needed a change.
She found that she had an interest in the medical field, but dove straight into the surgery department because of her family’s history in the field. “My mom was a surgical tech and still works in the operating room at Harbor UCLA and my grandmother was a CRNA, Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist for Kaiser Permanente,” she says.
Her duties include assisting surgeons in the operating room from procedures that range from general surgery, urology, vascular, ENT, thoracic and so on. Sarah says, “There is no better feeling than every morning walking into the VA for work and seeing old war pictures, propaganda and memorials of all of our heroes and knowing that I am here to care for them.”
Sarah says that the veterans have served their time and duty and feels it is her job to make them better again. “The stories and personalities of some of the older veterans always make me smile. We are starting to get a shift as younger generation of veterans come in for care and an increase in women veterans,” she says.
The VA’s mission statement is to fulfill Lincoln’s promise: “to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and his widow, and his orphan” by serving and honoring the men and women who are America’s veterans.” Sarah feels grateful to be on the team of helpers who aid veterans.
Today, Sarah resides in Gardena and is the proud wife of a veteran. When she is not busy assisting veterans as a surgical technologist, she enjoys being outdoors at the beach, walking her dogs, being with friends and a having a good dinner and movie date with her husband. She loves the South Bay mostly for the, “beautiful weather, beaches and Mexican food.”
In five years, Sarah sees herself still working for the veterans in Long Beach and starting a family. She is proud to say that all of the men in her family are military veterans and the women work in operating rooms.
Thank you Sarah for aiding and assisting our heroes every day!
“Being bed side, serving care for our veterans who have served and sacrificed so much for us is a job that I leave everyday feeling amazing about.”
– Sarah Tuflija