Secret lives of staff: brown belt nurse is a jiu jitsu master
Behind this softly spoken, mild and caring nurse is a brown belt jiu jitsu master.
David Lazaro, who has worked at Mount Druitt Hospital since 2005 in the Children’s Ward, has been training in the martial art of jiu jitsu for nine years.
Jiu jitsu is a martial art which involves the gentle art of controlling someone without injuring them.
The dedicated nurse has been competing and training in this tough martial arts sport along with his whole family, including his wife of 15 years and three children.
David’s youngest son, who is nine-years-old, started the routine when he was just four.
His oldest son has professionally trained for nine years while successfully competing internationally and earning an income from the sport.
David said the sport has taught him to be confident through any hardship.
“It will test you until you have zero strength left – and then you go into the mindset to be able to go one step further,” David said.
“When we spar there is no holding back – you go at it 100 per cent.
“It is a good stress relief from a busy day in the hospital.”
David talked about the benefits of martial arts training on his day-to-day life and work stress.
“When everything is going south, people say to me, how come your still smiling? But the problems I deal with are easy compared to the character of people I train with – police officers, tradies, firemen – most are bigger than me,” he said.
“If I can defeat them in a match well what’s the stress at work going to do to me? Jiu Jitsu trains you to take the time to think and then react. I have become more resilient because I can tackle big guys everyday and survive.
“I have respect for my fellow opponents and shake hands before and after each fight.”
If you’re a Western Sydney Local Health District staff member and would like to be featured in the Secret Life of Staff series, send an email to wslhd-thepulse@health.nsw.gov.au.
