Skip to main content
Chamberlain University, College of Nursing and Health Professionals
Menu

Main navigation redesign

  • Programs
    • Bachelor's Programs
      • Nursing
        • Bachelor Of Science in Nursing (BSN)
        • Bachelor of Science in Nursing Online
        • RN to BSN Option
      • BSN Campus Locations
        • Phoenix, AZ
        • Irwindale, CA
        • Sacramento, CA
        • Jacksonville, FL
        • Miramar, FL
        • Atlanta, GA
        • Stockbridge, GA
        • Addison, IL
        • Chicago, IL
        • Tinley Park, IL
        • Indianapolis, IN
        • New Orleans, LA
        • Troy, MI
        • St. Louis, MO
        • Las Vegas, NV
        • Charlotte, NC
        • North Brunswick, NJ
        • Cleveland, OH
        • Columbus, OH
        • Houston, TX
        • Irving, TX
        • Pearland, TX
        • San Antonio, TX
        • Tysons Corner, VA
    • Master’s Programs
      • Nursing
        • Master Of Science in Nursing (MSN)
        • Adult Gerontology Nurse Practitioner
        • Family Nurse Practitioner
        • Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
        • Graduate Certificates
        • RN to MSN Options
      • Healthcare Professions
        • Master of Public Health
        • Master of Physician Assistant
        • Master of Social Work
    • Doctorate Programs
      • Nursing
        • Doctor of Nursing Practice
    • Certificates
      • Nursing
        • Nursing Certificates
      • Healthcare Professions
        • Public Health Certificate
  • Admission
    • Resources
      • Academic Calendar
      • Academic Catalog
      • Curriculum Plans
    • Become a Student
      • Military Information
      • Transfer Students
  • Financial Aid
    • Tuition & Financial Aid
      • Tuition and Expenses
      • Types of Financial Assistance
      • Financial Aid Forms
      • Partnerships
    • Scholarships and Grants
      • Scholarships
      • Grants
      • Work Study
      • Loans
      • Educational Healthcare Partners
  • Why Chamberlain
    • Our Story
      • History
      • Our Vision
      • Chamberlain Care
      • Diversity and Inclusion
    • About Chamberlain
      • Leadership and Faculty
      • Campus Locations
      • Newsroom
      • Blog
      • Accreditation
      • Student Consumer Information
      • Alumni

Mobile Secondary Navigation

  • Apply
  • Request More Info
  • Request More Info
  • Call
  • Apply
  • Request Info
  • Request Info

Mobile Utility Navigation

  • Current Students
  • Prospective Students
  • Transfers
  • Military
  • Alumni
  • Partners
  • Employers

Top Utility Navigation

  • Current Students
  • Information For
    • Current Students
    • Prospective Students
    • Transfers
    • Military
    • Alumni
    • Partners
    • Employers
  • Chat
  • 877.751.5783
Chamberlain University, College of Nursing and Health Professionals

Main navigation redesign

  • Programs
    • Bachelor's Programs
      • Nursing
        • Bachelor Of Science in Nursing (BSN)
        • Bachelor of Science in Nursing Online
        • RN to BSN Option
      • BSN Campus Locations
        • Phoenix, AZ
        • Irwindale, CA
        • Sacramento, CA
        • Jacksonville, FL
        • Miramar, FL
        • Atlanta, GA
        • Stockbridge, GA
        • Addison, IL
        • Chicago, IL
        • Tinley Park, IL
        • Indianapolis, IN
        • New Orleans, LA
        • Troy, MI
        • St. Louis, MO
        • Las Vegas, NV
        • Charlotte, NC
        • North Brunswick, NJ
        • Cleveland, OH
        • Columbus, OH
        • Houston, TX
        • Irving, TX
        • Pearland, TX
        • San Antonio, TX
        • Tysons Corner, VA
    • Master’s Programs
      • Nursing
        • Master Of Science in Nursing (MSN)
        • Adult Gerontology Nurse Practitioner
        • Family Nurse Practitioner
        • Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
        • Graduate Certificates
        • RN to MSN Options
      • Healthcare Professions
        • Master of Public Health
        • Master of Physician Assistant
        • Master of Social Work
    • Doctorate Programs
      • Nursing
        • Doctor of Nursing Practice
    • Certificates
      • Nursing
        • Nursing Certificates
      • Healthcare Professions
        • Public Health Certificate
  • Admission

    Admission

    Our team is with you every step of the way, providing the information you need to make the decisions that best serve you.

    • Resources
      • Academic Calendar
      • Academic Catalog
      • Curriculum Plans
    • Become a Student
      • Military Information
      • Transfer Students
    smiling doctor with a young child
    Find My Program

    Find the path to your healthcare career goal.

  • Financial Aid

    Financial Aid

    Get support as you navigate paying for your education. Request information to connect with our admission team to discuss your financial options.

    • Tuition & Financial Aid
      • Tuition and Expenses
      • Types of Financial Assistance
      • Financial Aid Forms
      • Partnerships
    • Scholarships and Grants
      • Scholarships
      • Grants
      • Work Study
      • Loans
      • Educational Healthcare Partners
    smiling doctor with a young child
    Find My Program

    Find the path to your healthcare career goal.

  • Why Chamberlain

    Why Chamberlain

    Chamberlain University has a 130-year history preparing extraordinary nursing graduates and healthcare professionals. 

    • Our Story
      • History
      • Our Vision
      • Chamberlain Care
      • Diversity and Inclusion
    • About Chamberlain
      • Leadership and Faculty
      • Campus Locations
      • Newsroom
      • Blog
      • Accreditation
      • Student Consumer Information
      • Alumni
    smiling doctor with a young child
    Find My Program

    Find the path to your healthcare career goal.

Secondary Header Navigation

  • Apply
  • Request More Info
  • Request More Info
  • Call
  • Apply
  • Request Info
  • Request Info

Featured

nurse
The Importance of The DAISY Awards in…
Nurse resting with is eyes closed and sitting down with his coffee
Prioritizing Self-Care and Compassion:…
"Public Health Week | Anne-Marie Coleman, MPH Faculty
Meet Anne-Marie Coleman: Inspiring…

Tags

Browse articles by category
Alumni
Campus News
Careers
Health Professions
Nursing Today
Tips for Students

Share

Blog Social Share

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Email
  • LinkedIn
  • Home / Blog / Nursing Today / Chamberlain Nurses Featured on Good Morning America, As They Fulfill a Mother’s Dying Wish

Chamberlain Nurses Featured on Good Morning America, As They Fulfill a Mother’s Dying Wish

February 10, 2021 by Mary Beth Sammons
Chamberlain nurse hugging

Sevala Habibovic was diagnosed with stage four breast cancer in 2015; she died two years later at age 46, leaving behind a husband and two daughters. Once she realized she had weeks to live, she began planning for her next chapter: her death and the full lives she hoped her daughters would live in the aftermath. 

After receiving a terminal diagnosis, Habibovic asked Sanja Josipovic, her home health nurse, to attend the ceremony when her youngest daughter, Edina, then 18, graduated from nursing college. The women had become very close during the course of her care. They shared some striking similarities — born the same year, both were Bosnian refugees and moms. They formed an immediate and strong friendship during the six months of care. 

“We connected immediately and became more than patient and nurse, and more like sisters,” says Josipovic, a graduate of Chamberlain’s RN to BSN Online Option. “I was there to do her IV infusions two or three times a week and so you spend a lot of time together. We both were from Bosnia, but the truth is our religious differences — she was Muslim and I am Catholic — would have separated us if we were still there. But it did not hurt our friendship at all. Edina was just 18 and starting school and her mom was worried about what would happen to her daughter after she was gone. Edina had not really decided to be a nurse yet, but her mom somehow sensed that she would and asked me to be at her graduation. I said, ‘I’m there.’” 

Four years later, with arms outstretched in a hug, Josipovic made good on her long-held promise and stood in her patient’s place next to Habibovic’s daughter, Edina, at her pinning ceremony. Just 18 when her mom died, Habibovic, 22, graduated from Chamberlain University's Addison campus in November 2020.Their story was recently featured on a segment of Good Morning America.  

chamberlain nurses

 

“It was so special to me to have Sanja there at my side,” says Habibovic. “She is such a wholesome and caring person and even when my mom went on hospice, Sanja kept coming to visit to make sure our family was all okay. Over the years, she kept reaching out to me and welcomed me as part of her family.” 

Though the pandemic put a hold on her official Chamberlain graduation ceremony, Habibovic’s nurse manager and the medical team at Marianjoy Rehabilitation Hospital in Wheaton, Ill., held a pinning ceremony for her on Jan. 14, 2021. Both Habibovic and Josipovic are nurses at the hospital. With photos of her mother on a table, the newly graduated Habibovic was circled by her healthcare  colleagues at Marionjoy for the pinning ceremony. The tradition symbolizes the nursing pledge to be of service to humanity. With a huge hug, Josipovic presented her with her pin.  

“I didn’t know I was going to be a nurse when my mom was alive, but I think seeing Sanja and how important a nurse’s care is has really inspired me,” says Habibovic. “Now, I am working with patients who cannot see their families because of the pandemic and it is so sad. In some ways, in my role, I can be a stand-in family member for them, like Sanja is to me.”  

During the last four years, Josipovic has taken her promise to her patient to heart and has embraced her friend’s daughter as one of her own. A mother of three, Josipovic has been texting and inviting Habibovic over for family dinners throughout the last four years. And she has mentored her and connected her to her first job, where she also worked at the time. When she transferred to Marionjoy, she reached out immediately when there was an opening at the rehab hospital. For Josipovic, nursing is a family tradition. Her oldest daughter, Andrea, is a nurse, and her son, Ilijan, 24, is a Chamberlain nursing student.  

“I felt as proud of Edina like I would be if one of my own children graduated,” says Josipovic. “I was so proud and excited.”

chamberlain nurses

By Mary Beth Sammons

More from Nursing Today

View all >
oncology
My Nursing Specialty: Oncology Nursing
Read more
Sonyette Walker Image
Atlanta Nurse Takes Winding Path to an Extraordinary Career
Read more
Student seated looking at laptop
The HESI Exam: What Chamberlain University Wants You to…
Read more
chamberlain conversations with Karen Cox, president of chamberlain university
Chamberlain Conversations – Educational Justice for All: A…
Read more
Show more >

Request More Information

To receive the Chamberlain University Program Guide, including associated career paths, please select a program of study.

Chamberlain University, College of Nursing and Health Professionals

Secondary Footer Navigation

  • Apply
  • Request More Info
  • Request More Info
  • Call
  • Apply
  • Request Info
  • Request Info

Student Portal Login

Main Campus
Addison Campus
1221 North Swift Road
Addison, IL 60101 

National Management Offices
500 W. Monroe St, Suite 1300
Chicago, IL 60661

All Campus Locations
Contact

Footer Menu Column 1

  • Online Programs
  • Master of Physician Assistant Studies
  • Alumni Association
  • Chamberlain Marketplace
  • Military
  • Leadership
  • Catalog & Viewbook

Footer Menu Column 2

  • Student Portal
  • Student Consumer Info
  • Accreditation
  • Parent Organization
  • CA Performance Fact Sheets
  • CA BPPE Annual Report
  • CA BPPE Website

Footer Menu Column 3

  • Careers
  • Privacy Policy
  • Online Cookie Policy
  • Sitemap
  • Terms of Use
  • Accessibility
  • Student Disability Services
  • Office of Equity and Access

Footer Social Media Navigation

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Pinterest

2022 Chamberlain Universtiy LLC. All rights reserved.

Footer Menu Line 1

  • Online Cookie Policy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Sitemap
  • Terms of Use
  • *140,000 Chamberlain students, alumni and faculty

    † Chamberlain University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (www.hlcommission.org), an institutional accreditation agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. The baccalaureate degree program in nursing, master’s degree program in nursing, Doctor of Nursing Practice program and post-graduate APRN certificate program at Chamberlain University are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, ccneaccreditation.org. The Chamberlain University Doctor of Nursing Practice (delivered via distance education) is accredited by the National League for Nursing Commission for Nursing Education Accreditation (NLN CNEA) located at 2600 Virginia Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20037 (202-909-2526). Chamberlain University’s Master of Public Health Program is accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health, www.ceph.org. For the most updated accreditation information, visit chamberlain.edu/accreditation. Chamberlain University’s Master of Social Work degree program is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education’s Commission on Accreditation, www.cswe.org. The Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant, Inc. has granted Accreditation-Provisional status to the Chamberlain University Physician Assistant Program. 

    Certified to Operate by SCHEV. 

    To report unresolved complaints to the Illinois Board of Higher Education visit their webpage at https://complaints.ibhe.org/ or by mail to 1 N. Old State Capitol Plaza, Suite 333, Springfield, IL 62701-1377. View Chamberlain's complaint process.

    Chamberlain University confers online degrees from its Main Campus in Addison, IL.

    Chamberlain University is a member of Adtalem Global Education Inc. www.adtalem.com
    ©2023 Chamberlain University LLC. All rights reserved.