A Risky Occupation
Nadya Gutierrez married Marcos Gutierrez in 1996 and went on to Mt. San Antonio College to get her psychiatric therapy license. She also started working at Metropolitan State Hospital, a psychiatric institution. While her job was rewarding, it was also difficult and potentially dangerous for Nadya. Her primary goal was to start a family, but she also desired a fulfilling career. However, an unfortunate event at work turned her life into a roller-coaster ride.
Tragedy Strikes
Something terrible happened at Nadya’s workplace on September 18th, 1999, and she was caught in the middle. When a riot broke out among the patients, Nadya attempted to intervene. Unfortunately, when one of the patients flipped a desk over, it landed on Nadya’s back, resulting in a herniated disc injury. Workers’ compensation may have provided some relief (she received $170,000), and it certainly helped her for a while, but money was the last thing on Nadya’s mind.