[NurseAngie]

I was a dinner guest last evening at the home (and clinic) of Peggy Kemner, RN, CNM. Peggy is a midwife (no longer delivering the bundles of joy at home, though) that has delivered over 500 babies here in Southeastern Kentucky. She authored her own book entitled " I Am With You Always" about the home births she attended. She is such a remarkable woman! She (and a former school techer / friend) built and run the Lend-A-Hand center here in Ky. , which provided medical (prenatal)care to needy women and serves as a non-denominational church/Sunday school to the people that don't get "picked up" by the other churches because of where they live. (Sometimes very difficult to reach their mountain homes) Ms. Kemner had the pleasure to meet Mary Breckinridge (Mary Breckinridge provided nursing care to the people of Appalachia and began the Frontier Nursing Service in Hyden, Kentucky. She herself was trained in England as a nurse midwife. ) after graduating from Johns Hopkins University with her nursing degree. This woman provided the local people with a much needed service and has helped so many. I am so blessed to have met her and I wanted to tell other nurse midwives about such a lovely woman/nurse/midwife. What a role model. I think of her as a "dinosaur breed" and that makes me sad. I feel that Peggy Kemner was a pioneer for CNM's here and will leave a lasting legacy. BTW, Peggy is STILL a practicing nurse working in both home health (she once had her OWN agency) for the Health Department and she works on the Labor & Delivery floor at the county hospital. What a woman!

Happy Nursing~Angie

[RainbowSkye]

You just brought back some wonderful memories for me. I spent a few weeks with Peggy and Irma at their Lend-A-Hand center back in 1973 right before my senior year in nursing school. What a great time I had: helping to build the new barn, doing some home health nursing, just doing whatever needed to be done. A highlight of my time there was a visit to the Frontier Nursing Service. You are absolutely right, Peggy is a wonderful woman and nurse.
Skye

[TinyNurse]

what a great post, That must have been a wonderful experience.
I still look forward to meeting Ina Mae down in TN.

[NurseAngie]

Originally posted by TinyNurse
what a great post, That must have been a wonderful experience.
I still look forward to meeting Ina Mae down in TN.

Doesn't Ina Mae live in a commune? I remember reading a story about her from the '70s. Very interesting!

~Angie

[caffine addict]

WOW

I can't believe I stumbled into this site!!!!!

I would have loved to Know her. She sounds wonderfull. Thats my idea of nursing. I lived in Appalachia for a few years. My 2 Girls were born at Applacian Regional Hosp. I always wondered how some of those folks way up in the hollows got help and health care. Many older folks didn't own cars and still had mules.


So I came back to Mich. had 2 more children, went into nursing and then got side tracked.

[NurseAngie]

It's my kind of nursing too...it's what I think it's all about. Doing what you love and loving what you do. Only that will sustain you for so many years in any career.


~Angie

P.S. I visited dh's family in Kentucky again this past weekend and had a great time..I love it there. I kind of regret selling our little house there now...my kids love the pretty snow that blankets the Cumberland Gap in the frosty winter! I'm trying to convince dh to buy another place...maybe closer to Knoxville this time.

[homenursingrj]

Speaking of Ina May Gaskin and The Farm - her book "Spiritual Midwifery" is one of my favorites.