My Nurse Hero

[sammynky20]

Hi allnurses

I found a great topic on your platform today of which I would like to share my view. Names of persons and places are as called in real life. I am not a good story writer but I hope someone will find this inspiring: "WHAT INSPIRED ME TO BECOME A NURSE"

About Me and Where I Live

My name is Samuel 34 and I am a nurse. I have my BSc in Nursing from Ebonyi State University Abakaliki. I am the 17th child and the only graduate of the 18 children of my father from five different women.

I am a native of Umuezeokoha Ezza community in Benue state of North central Nigeria. The community is made up of more than 20 villages with over 1 million population. It was an uphill task growing up in the community of hardly any sign of modern life.

Our Plight

For the purpose of clarity, permit me to put it thus; Our pathetic plight is that the authorities in Benue, from the state to the local governments, have not seen us as part of the state ostensibly because we speak Igbo. On the other hand, the Ebonyi State government where we should have rightly belonged is helpless as we are not under its area of administration and authority.

• We have been on our own.
• No roads.
• No water.
• No chemist store.
• No school.
• No clinic.

We just wander about to help ourselves in our own way.

Our source of water here is a pond and the Idokpo river. It often gets dried during the dry season. Herdsmen do carry their cows to drink at the same place as us because the water is not covered.

The Guinea worm (which I suffered frequently during my early and late childhood), severe mosquito bites and diarrhea are common within the community.

Adults and children died like flies during the cholera outbreak of the early 1990s. It was difficult getting help or treatment from anywhere as people watched their loved ones die with only herbal roots and leaves as an option to try.

Childbirth

Women conceive and give birth through aged mothers who double as traditional birth attendants. Our pregnant women are dying every day during labour for lack of basic care and malaria (no insecticide-treated mosquito net). Also, our children are dying for a lack of the polio immunisation programme and other medical treatments needed to be given to a child at a tender age.

I was 7 years old when my elder sister, Nwigwe, died during child birth that lasted more than 3 days with no option of a clinic to take her to.

My mother (now old) often tells me how she nearly lost my pregnancy when I was in the womb, to severe Elephantiasis that had eaten her right leg.

School

The only primary school is far; more than 15 km away from the community with rivers to cross. It becomes more difficult especially during the rainy season when the river banks are flooded, which often prevents and discourages pupils from going to school.

My Inspiration

I would go on and on, but my story is short and my inspiration is the pain of sickness and death I grew to experience and witness in my very community. The painful experience of my aged mother and the painful death of my elder sister inspired me to be a nurse.

I was determined to make a difference and help my community.

Although my wish has not fully materialised, I hope to one day establish a local NGO that will provide free maternal services to pregnant women and immunisation to under age children of the community.

FACT: That No Woman Dies as a Result of Child Bearing ...

That is my inspiration.

Thank you.

[spotangel, DNP, RN, NP]

Beautiful! I pray for you in this special day of Pentecost that your dream of creating an NGO to help your community bears fruit! Peace!

[cyc0sys]

That's a great and inspiring story. You might want to check at Mercy Ships. I think it's something you would be interested in. I wish you the best of luck in your humanitarian endeavors.

https://www.mercyships.org/volunteer/