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Nurses are often described as inspirational, and one patient's carers at Epworth Geelong hospital inspired a whole new career.
Matthew Batterham was suffering from ulcerative colitis, a type of inflammatory bowel disease.
"I was on medications, going to the toilet up to 40 times a day due to how inflamed my bowel was, my weight dropped to 45 kilograms, and I did not leave the house," he said.
In 2016, he was admitted to Epworth Geelong and underwent an emergency colectomy, performed by Dr David Wardill.
Mr Batterham then had three more operations at the Epworth HealthCare facility, performed by Professor Glenn Guest.
"Thanks to the surgeries, I now have an ileostomy bag and it has significantly improved my quality of life," he said.
After seeing how the nursing staff looked after him, Mr Batterham decided on a career change from retail work.
"Coming into hospital you aren't having the best time," he said.
"It just takes one nurse to go that little bit further and it helps get you through one of the hardest periods of your life.
"They were awesome and a huge reason why I decided to become a nurse."
Mr Batterham pursued nursing studies at university and later applied to work at Epworth Geelong with the intention of becoming a stomal nurse.
He said his time as a patient had "definitely" made him a better carer.
After six months working in cardiology and neurology at Epworth Geelong, Mr Batterham moved to the fast-paced surgical ward where he was previously a patient.
"It felt great to be able to join the nurses on the ward who had looked after me years earlier," he said.
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