Special Mother’s Day at Long Island hospital where Nurse Kalowti Mohan works alongside her 2 sons

VALLEY STREAM, N.Y. — This Mother’s Day will bring a special celebration to a Long Island mom, even though her two sons will be at work. CBS2’s Carolyn Gusoff has the story of this family affair at the hospital.

There are special bonds at Long Island Jewish Valley Stream Hospital – and not just between staff and patients. Nursing is a family affair for the Mohans.

Kalowti Mohan and her sons are nurses here. But it didn’t start this way. A nurse in her native Guyana, she came to New York, worked in banking, but quickly realized she had a calling.

“It wasn’t giving me that, how do you say, I wasn’t getting fulfillment,” Mohan said.

At 44 and with two sons, she went to nursing school and encouraged them to follow suit.

“You have to do something that you love,” Mohan said. “You make a difference in people life when you’re out there. You are able to help someone.”

“You gotta do something that you like that’s gonna take care of you financially, but it’s gonna be rewarding,” Khemraj Mohan said.

Two of them landed in nursing school together. Younger son Barry Mohan joined the field 12 years later.

“My mom is like a superhero to me,” Barry said.

“She was working two full-time jobs, she was going to school, she was a mom and she cooked every day. Every day at five o’clock in the morning, she got up and cooked,” Khemraj said.

Working together has its perks, like motherly advice.

“You look neat, they will trust you. You walk in with wrinkles, unkempt, they’re like, ‘Oh, he’s going to take care of me? I don’t think so,’” Kalowti said.

“I still listen, even though I’m like, I argue with her. You still have that thing, that little bit that says ‘OK, yes mom,’” Khemraj said.

On Mother’s Day, someone has to man the front lines, and they’ll be doing as mom taught.

“She gave me a career that I would not have had and now I’m very fulfilled in what I do,” Khemraj said.

“She’s worked so much for us. That’s all she’s done, I feel like. So at this point, I want her to reap what she sowed,” Barry said.

As for her Mother’s Day gifts, Kalowti says she already has the great gifts – two of them.

“That was my dream. I wanted them to be not somebody on the street. I want them to do something that makes a difference in people’s life,” Kalowti said.

Mom was right – doing what you love makes a difference.

Friday is also National Nurses Day, which opens National Nurses Week culminating with the birthday of Florence Nightingale.