Celebrating Pride Month 2024: Nick Zarriello

“We can all be allies of the LGBTQ+ community – or any community – by taking the time to simply get to know one another,” says Nick Zarriello a Patient Experience Manager for Crothall Healthcare, one of the remarkable Associates we are spotlighting during Pride Month. Nick shares his story and more advice here.

“When I was a year old, I was adopted and immigrated from Russia to the United States. I grew up in a small town on the Jersey Shore. I identify as a cisgender male and openly identified as gay at 10 years old. While it was difficult growing up in a small town, I’m grateful to have begun living authentically and genuinely as who I was meant to be at a young age.

“Being open and honest with myself and the world helped pave the way for the life I would live. The importance of kindness, compassion, understanding and empathy toward others cannot be overemphasized.

“I’m one of the leading trainers on Gender Affirmation Surgery/Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Gender Non-binary Programs & Policy/Patient Training for Support Service staff at Mt. Sinai West in New York City.

“At the hospital, I’m grateful to be able to help the patients, the public, and the teams, whose acceptance is unwavering. They have filled my cup in ways many won’t realize. Hopefully, telling a little bit of my story can help others understand that they’re not alone; change is possible in the world, and we can do it together.

“As human beings, we all search for our own happiness and what will make us accepted by one another throughout our lifetimes, so it’s very important to remember that we must put kindness, empathy and understanding before everything else for our communities. The LGB/TGD community – and the transgender community specifically – undergo extensive surgical procedures to become who they were meant to be. It should be an extremely joyful moment for us all to see, but is not always the case. Showing love, kindness and respect can truly change people’s lives and the outcome of their experience.

“We can all be allies of the LGBTQ+ community – or any community – by taking the time to simply get to know one another: Using proper preferred name and pronouns, being open and honest with each other about our struggles, and celebrating each other’s wins. You never know what the next person is experiencing. By lending a helping hand and supporting the people around you, we put an end to discrimination in and out of the workplace.”