Zoe Melendez showed up to her first day of school with no hair, no fingernails and no toenails. She had just been laid off from her job in a career she had been a part of for more than 25 years and was battling breast cancer.

“Everything was black. I had no eyelashes and no eyebrows. But I was accepted by my new family (at Lake Washington Institute of Technology) and made it through,” Melendez said.

The mother of two was one of three women who shared their story with U.S. Sen. Patty Murray at EvergreenHealth hospital in Kirkland on Monday. All three told of how Worksource of King County helped them to find a new career.

Murray visited the Kirkland hospital to hear from the women, administration, lab technicians and a Bellevue College dean about how the 2014 Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act has benefited those seeking new employment in the medical field.

“When I hear what really happens to people, how the money is used and what the barriers were, that makes certain that when I write policies … that they actually work the way I am envisioning as a legislator,” Murray said.

The two other women who spoke about their experience with the programs came from very different backgrounds, as one was an immigrant and the other a military veteran.

“I think the most important thing is that these were all women who never saw a career,” Murray said. “We have job openings but they never would have had exposure to that without Worksource … We have to make sure we move forward to try and fill those job openings with people who want jobs. We need to make sure we have good job counselors out there who can help people see what they can achieve.”

The senator’s visit was also to help her gain perspective for a new piece of bipartisan legislation she is crafting with Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT), Effective Apprenticeships Rebuild National Skills (EARNS) Act.

“I seek out people who want to get things done and are willing to work in bipartisan ways,” Murray said. “Getting people trained is a bipartisan.”

The legislation is meant to raise awareness of registered apprenticeships, incentivize companies to start and expand their programs, help increase the number of highly-skilled workers in growing industries, and encourage stronger partnerships between employers, colleges and universities and the workforce development systems.

But the tour was also to hear the education side of the sometimes-complicated equation of starting a new career.