GROWING up in Portmore, St Catherine, Betty-Ann Mason always knew she wanted a career in health care. Today, the Jamaican-born nurse is making a difference thousands of miles from home as a diabetes specialist nurse in London, but her journey has been defined by perseverance, sacrifice, and an unwavering desire to give back to Jamaica.

A past student of Meadowbrook High School in St Andrew, and graduate of the University of Technology, Jamaica, Mason credits her late father as one of the greatest influences behind her decision to become a nurse.

“I had wanted to do something in medicine. I first wanted veterinary medicine, but it was extremely expensive,” she recalled. “I used to help my father with his medication because he’s diabetic, so I decided to try nursing school, and he was really one of the main driving voices for me going into nursing school.”

Her path to qualification was far from easy. Throughout nursing school, Mason worked tirelessly to support herself financially, taking on multiple jobs while balancing the academic and clinical demands of her degree.

At various points, she worked in call centres and as a freelancer, offering services in graphic design, virtual assistance, transcription, and website development.

One of her most vivid memories is the gruelling routine she maintained while completing her studies.

“One of my toughest memories was balancing night shifts with clinical placements. After finishing work at 7:00 am, my mother would pick me up, let me shower at her workplace, drop me in Half-Way-Tree, and I’d travel to my placement at [National] Chest Hospital. After finishing at 3:00 pm, I’d go home, rest for a few hours, then prepare for another night shift at work. It was exhausting, but it taught me resilience and allowed me to support myself while pursuing my nursing degree.”

That resilience would prove invaluable when Mason eventually relocated to the United Kingdom (UK), where she has now lived and worked for more than three years.

She describes the overseas experience as both rewarding and emotional. “In the UK, it’s been bittersweet,” she said. “Meeting people from all different walks of life is exciting. You get to find commonalities with people from really all corners of the Earth.”

Like many Jamaican professionals abroad, she had to learn quickly and adapt to unfamiliar systems and expectations. She also learnt an important lesson about starting over in a new environment. “Once you’re the newbie, you’re getting the jobs that nobody wants to do. Once I realised the reality of being a newbie, I scheduled the harder task for the morning so I could have some downtime later in the day.”

Today, Mason enjoys a better work-life balance in a specialist role focused on diabetes care, an area that is deeply personal to her because of her father’s illness and the prevalence of diabetes among her relatives.

That personal connection has strengthened her passion for diabetes education and sharing what she learns with others. “If I can get even just a quarter of the information that I’m getting and share that with individuals in Jamaica, there would be such a huge impact.”

She believes that empowering patients with practical knowledge can prevent many serious complications. “A lot of the conditions that people end up in hospital with are secondary to diabetes, heart attacks, kidney issues, problems with the eyes and feet,” she explained. “If blood sugars are managed, a lot of these complications wouldn’t happen.”

Despite building a successful career in the UK, Mason admits that being separated from family remains one of the hardest aspects of living overseas.

“I’m very family-oriented,” she said. “I wish there was a way I could see them more often.”

When homesickness strikes, she finds comfort in planning her next trip to Jamaica. And, in addition to work, she enjoys creating content for social media; educating users about diabetes through her TikTok page, @Nursebettiebee; and documenting her experiences of life in the UK. It was this online presence that caught the attention of JN Money.

Her videos led to an opportunity with JN Money after a representative contacted her, noting an interest in her nursing videos and social media pages focused on diabetes education and life in the UK.

The invitation to be featured was an easy decision.

“She asked if I would be interested in being featured for nurses, and I said, absolutely.”

Horace Hines, general manager, JN Money, believes the work and dedication she pours into her job, patients and others, by providing simplified information about diabetes, is admirable.

“Through her work as a diabetes specialist nurse and her efforts to educate others online, she continues to make a meaningful impact while maintaining a strong connection to Jamaica. We are especially proud to celebrate nurses, who represent a vital part of our customer base and work tirelessly overseas to support their families back home,” he said.

Mason’s long-term goal is to return to Jamaica with the expertise, practical experience, and specialist knowledge needed to improve diabetes care in Jamaica and the wider Caribbean.

“I’d love to be able to do what I’m doing in Jamaica,” she said. “You want to help your people. I want to make sure that when I do come back, I’m fully equipped — I’m able to take on situations and help people.”