Maria Romero, the daughter of immigrants who came to the United States from Michoacan, Mexico, arrived in California 12 years ago when she was 28 years old. In Michoacan Maria was a surgeon. She practiced for several years in México before coming to California.

As a single mother of two in her adopted country, Maria had to work to survive. At night, she took classes to learn English. After Maria learned English, she took nursing classes while she worked in a rehabilitation clinic. She worked for three years in this clinic and learned skills to earn a better salary.

Maria took a leave of absence from her job at the clinic because she had to have surgery to remove a tumor. Her employer did not want to wait a month for Maria to recover from her operation. So, after she recuperated, Maria had to find another job. She found work as a medical assistant with a podiatrist, a position she still holds today.

But Maria wanted to return to her original love - performing surgery. In order to practice in California Maria had to pass a rigorous exam. The Welcome Project for foreign doctors helped Maria enroll in classes in San Francisco to help her prepare for the exam.

In October 2003, Maria's ophthalmologist diagnosed her with Retinitis Pigmentosa. This is a condition that affects the retina, causing it to gradually deteriorate until the person becomes blind. Maria's doctor recommended that she resist straining her eyes because it would speed up her vision loss. Maria abandoned her nursing classes and quit attending training classes to become a surgeon. Nevertheless, Maria was not disheartened by the possibility of losing her sight. She says her children are what motivate her and give her strength.