The guild’s founder, Rachel Romer, had a stroke at age 34. Your nurses inspired the next phase of your company

As Rachel Romer lay in a hospital bed, recovering from a stroke she suffered when she was just 34, the edtech founder conducted some light market research.

At a time when Romer, then Guild’s CEO, was recovering from a debilitating stroke that left the right side of his body paralyzed, his company was in the midst of an expansion into upskilling programs for healthcare professionals. Romer eventually began interviewing the various nurses who cared for her about their work.

“Every nurse that came into my room, I would educate them on their career path and ask them a lot of questions,” Romer said during her first public appearance since her stroke in August 2023 in FortuneMost Powerful Women Summit in Laguna Niguel, California. “Some of the nurses started to get tired when they came in and said, ‘I heard you interviewed all the nurses.’ And I would say, ‘yes, I want to’.”

Romer’s time at the hospital only reinforced his commitment to expanding the Guild’s qualifications platform to include a dedicated program for healthcare professionals. The idea had been circulating for some time. In April 2023, Fortune reported that Romer was considering a program designed to help drug store employees get jobs in the health care field. His premature coup gave the idea a new urgency and more than a touch of personal relevance.

“I ended up getting my own healthcare residency, living in the hospital for many months,” Romer said.

Romer turned Guild into one of Silicon Valley’s biggest success stories. Following a $175 million Series F raise in June 2022, Guild has reached a $4.4 billion valuation, a major milestone for a private company. By Romer’s side for the past six years has been his “soul sister” Bijal Shah, current CEO of Guild.

After Romer unexpectedly ended up in the hospital, Shah, who was on maternity leave, was called into action at any moment. Shah said he received an unexpected call from one of Romer’s family members who had few details and one request: call the board of directors to notify them of Romer’s current health status.

As soon as the details emerged, it became clear that Shah was needed back in the office. She obeyed without hesitation.

“We had a business continuity plan,” Shah said on stage with Romer during his interview with FortuneIt’s Emma Hinchcliffe. “Friday was when I got the call. On Monday morning I went back to business.”

Months later, after Romer woke up from his medical coma, his first thought was of Shah. “When I woke up from my first medical coma, the first thing I did was see my dad in the hospital room and I said ‘someone call Bijal and put her in charge’.”

Eventually, Romer recovered enough to welcome his longtime business partner and newly appointed CEO for a visit to the hospital. This first visit was supposed to be personal, not professional, Shah reminded. This is easier said than done, she added.

“The first time I saw her, we weren’t allowed to talk about work, which, if you know Rachel, is really difficult,” Shah said.

After some pleasantries, Romer was eager to share what he had learned from his many conversations with his nurses.

“She said, ‘OK, here are some ideas I had based on what I saw. There is a shortage. Here’s what’s going on,’” Shah recalled.

Over the past year and a half, Romer has undergone an exhaustive rehabilitation process. While Romer does five hours a day of outpatient therapy, which she considered “boring,” her mind can’t help but wander to the helpful therapists who manage her care. Even they can’t escape Romer’s probing questions.

“I still interview the occupational, speech therapist and physical therapist and then I give Bijal and the team any ideas I have,” Romer said.

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com