SC Connecticut News

Twenty-three years ago, Vanessa Landegger made the challenging decision to leave medical school. She had a dream of becoming an obstetrician/gynecologist, but also yearned for a family life. With her first child, eight-month-old Dylan at home, she felt torn between two demanding commitments.

However, Vanessa found her way back to healthcare and recently graduated from Yale School of Nursing (YSN) with a Master of Science in Nursing. Remarkably, she shared her final year at YSN with her son Dylan Antonioli, who just completed his first year there.

Vanessa and Dylan have always maintained a close relationship marked by mutual respect and admiration. Their unique bond played a significant role in their respective journeys to YSN.

After leaving medical school, Vanessa raised Dylan and his two siblings alongside her husband. She earned master's degrees in public health and education and taught elementary-school science for 10 years. Meanwhile, Dylan decided to become an emergency medical technician (EMT) at the age of 17.

"He became an EMT with really great accolades," said Vanessa. "I would get messages from people in the community about him and just how appreciated he was."

Dylan's experience as an EMT inspired Vanessa to follow suit. Despite initially doubting if she could manage it alongside her teaching responsibilities, she eventually took the training class after encouragement from Dylan.

As time passed, Dylan began considering nursing as a career path. He started at Georgetown University in the undergraduate nursing program but found himself more drawn towards medicine due to its focus on understanding why things happen rather than just what happens.

The COVID-19 pandemic brought both mother and son back to New Canaan where they helped keep the town’s EMS corps staffed and running. The intense moments they experienced together during this period solidified Vanessa's decision to apply to nursing school.

In 2021, Vanessa began her master’s coursework at YSN. Dylan, who had switched to a psychology major, found himself drawn back to nursing inspired by his mother's experience at YSN.

Vanessa helped Dylan find his niche in nursing when she introduced him to Mary-Ann Cyr, a senior lecturer at YSN and an acute care nurse practitioner — the specialty Dylan was interested in. Cyr allowed Dylan to shadow her for a weekend, an experience that confirmed his decision to apply to YSN.

Despite being at different stages of their nursing education, Vanessa and Dylan managed to find time for quick hugs between classes. Now, as Vanessa prepares for her new career as a midwife and Dylan gears up for his specialty year in adult/gerontology acute care, they continue to support each other.

"I’m also a little jealous of Dylan," said Vanessa with a laugh. "Because he’s finishing this program in his 20s and I’m finishing it in my early 50s."

She offered some parting advice to her son: "As you go through the specialty year, let yourself just drift into the experience of it. Because the intensity is actually where some of the learning comes in," Vanessa advised Dylan. "And trust that there will be time to figure out the rest of your life." A sentiment she knows all too well from her own journey.