HOUSTON – What started as a side job for Houston registered nurse Joel Casiano is quickly becoming something much bigger.
Casiano spends his workdays caring for patients. Outside the hospital, he is building a business of his own, providing mobile IV hydration services to clients across the Houston area.
Just a few months after starting, Casiano said his weekends are filling with appointments, referrals are coming in and some customers are already returning.
But for Casiano, the business represents more than another source of income.
As KPRC 2 celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month, Casiano says every step forward reminds him of the two people who made his opportunities possible: his parents.
From Monterrey to Houston
Casiano was born in Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico.
His parents brought him to the United States when he was 4 years old. He remembers their story through the sacrifices they made to give him and his sisters opportunities they did not have themselves.
That sacrifice, Casiano said, has followed him throughout his life.
“My parents came over here when they were young,” Casiano said. “They sacrificed a lot for me and my sisters.”
Years later, one of the opportunities they helped create would lead him into nursing.
Casiano has now worked as a nurse for five years. He started in intensive care before eventually moving into interventional radiology, where he works alongside a neurovascular doctor caring for patients experiencing strokes and aneurysms.
Becoming a nurse was already an accomplishment Casiano wanted his parents to share in.
Then he decided to try something else.
A side business that started taking off
A few months ago, Casiano launched a mobile IV hydration business.
The idea was to take his experience in health care and build something outside his regular nursing job.
He travels to clients rather than operating solely from a traditional storefront, bringing the service to homes, offices and other locations.
Casiano wasn’t sure what kind of response he would get.
It did not take long to find out.
“When I started, I did not think that it was going to be as big as it’s starting to be,” Casiano said. “I’ve been very busy, luckily. I had appointments every weekend.”
He said referrals have come through social media, friends and family. Some customers have returned asking when they could schedule another appointment.
Casiano has also started doing group appointments, where several people schedule their services together.
“I have people coming back and be like, ‘Hey, when can I get my second one?’” Casiano said.
His goal now is to continue growing. Casiano said he is already working on ways to expand beyond what he currently offers.
Nurse first, entrepreneur second
Casiano’s nursing background remains central to how he operates the business.
Before administering an IV, he said clients undergo a screening process that includes their medical history and allergies.
Casiano said he works with a medical director, and the client’s history is reviewed before he is told what that person is eligible to receive.
For Casiano, becoming a business owner wasn’t about leaving nursing behind.
It was about seeing what else he could build from the career he had already worked for.
And as the business grows, he continues to trace that ambition back to his family.
“A lot of the work ethic that I get is from my parents”
Casiano said his parents’ decision to bring their family to the United States shaped how he approaches both his nursing career and his new business.
“So me being a nurse and being able to accomplish that, it’s like a big thing,” Casiano said. “I hope that they see that all the sacrifices they made was giving me that opportunity to be able to be a nurse.”
Now, becoming an entrepreneur has added another chapter.
“Now that I have this business, hopefully they see that all these opportunities that I’ve had is because of them,” he said.
Casiano also credits his parents for something that cannot be measured by a degree or a business.
His work ethic.
“A lot of the work ethics that I get is from my parents,” Casiano said. “So, they keep me going to do more things for them too.”
Building something of his own
Casiano is still balancing both worlds.
He continues working as a registered nurse while spending weekends and time outside the hospital growing the business.
What began with a handful of appointments has turned into repeat customers, referrals and plans for what could come next.
But when Casiano talks about what he has accomplished, he doesn’t end with himself.
He goes back to his parents.
“I want to say that I’m thankful for everything they do for me, for us, my sisters and I,” Casiano said.
For him, their decision years ago to leave Mexico and start over created opportunities their children are still building on today.
“We have everything because of them,” Casiano said.
Then came the part that perhaps matters most to him.
“I hope they’re proud of us.”
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