Lessons I Learnt From My Mum About Healthcare

In honour of Nurses Day

At Farah Health, we usually share tips, insights, and tools to support your health journey. But today, I want to share something a little more personal. In honour of Nurses Day, this post is a tribute to the woman who first taught me what care truly means — my mother, Sister Fatima.

Before I ever stepped into a clinic...

Before I wore a stethoscope or opened a medical textbook...

I learnt what it meant to care — from my mum.

Her name was Fatima, and she was an experienced, deeply respected nurse.She carried her work with dignity, pride, and unwavering compassion — not because she had to, but because she believed in it. She believed in service. In integrity. In leadership. In doing the right thing. In delivering care with excellence.

When I lost her, I tucked those memories away — as grief often makes us do.

But over time, and through deep healing work, I’ve come to realise how much of her still lives in me.

In the way I hold space for others.

In the way I listen.

In the way I deeply care.

In the way I lead with heart.

This Nurses Day, I wanted to honour her by reflecting on the lessons she taught me — not through words, but through how she lived and worked. These lessons continue to shape how I practise medicine today — and they are woven into the values that underpin Farah Health.

1. Service is sacred

My mum believed that caring for someone was a privilege — not a task. It wasn’t about ticking boxes, but about actual heart. She modelled what real care looks like. It comes from presence, from humility, and from honouring the person in front of you — not just treating their symptoms.

2. Listening is medicine

She had a way of truly hearing people — not just within her work, but in every part of her life.She noticed what wasn’t said, sat with silence when needed, and responded with grace… and sometimes with passion.From her, I learnt that listening is medicine.That kind of listening heals in ways that medicine alone cannot.

3. Care starts with heart

“Nurses are the ones running the show — don’t you forget that. And don’t you ever be one of those disrespectful doctors,” she’d often say. She believed nurses were the ones holding it all together. She showed me that healthcare isn’t about titles — it’s about heart, and the people who show up with it, day after day.

4. You carry people with you

She honoured her patients — their stories, their fears, their strength. To care for others was never a burden. It was an honour. She carried them in her heart, not out of obligation, but as a sacred responsibility. And now, I hope to do the same.

5. Be proud of the quiet work

There was rarely applause for the kind of work she did — and yet she carried it out with quiet excellence. She taught me that the most meaningful acts of care are often the ones no one sees. The moments that happen in silence, behind the scenes, with love.

This post is for her —And for every nurse who leads with love. Who shows up with strength and softness. Who reminds us that care is an honour, not a burden.

To all nurses — past, present, and future:

We see you. We thank you. We honour you.

With love,

Dr Ala Farah

Farah Health