First A Nurse: No Matter Where, No Matter What | Page 9
It was 7:00 a.m. and more than 100 people were lined up
waiting for medical care. Two young men came running
alongside a motorcycle, balancing an elderly woman lying
on a makeshift stretcher made of corrugated steel. A young
woman was in labor and about to deliver a baby. Others were
wounded, or traumatized and in need of emotional help.
The location was the port town of Léogâne, five days
after a 7.0 magnitude earthquake had hit Haiti in January
2010. The death toll was 230,000, and more than 300,000
people were injured. Many humanitarian organizations had
responded to appeals for help, including several members
of a church in Franklin, Tennessee. Among them was
Spartan Nurse, Yvonne Visbeen.
A Split-Second Decision
She had signed up through her church, expecting to help
with the relief effort by gathering supplies and equipment
needed to send to Haiti. Instead, she was contacted by
Hope Fo rce International and asked to go to Léogâne—the
earthquake epicenter—to work in a field hospital. She had
no time to weigh the pros and cons. She made a split-second
decision and within four days, she was on a plane to Haiti.
“It was the most difficult, but the most rewarding, experience
of my life,” Visbeen says.
For seven days, Visbeen and her team cared for the physical
needs—as well as the emotional and spiritual needs—of an
endless line of patients, from sunup to sundown. The physical
demands and the emotional stamina required of the team
were high. They saw 400 to 500 patients every day.
Putting Personal Needs Aside
In a nursing career, one often has to put aside personal
needs and emotions to address the critical needs of others.
“In Léogâne, the needs of the people were greater. Without
really consciously deciding it, that is what I did. I was never
so proud of our profession and thankful for the opportunity
to serve others.”
She says it wasn’t until she was on the plane to return home
that it all hit her. “As we taxied down the runway, I looked out
the window at Haiti, and I just began to weep,” Visbeen says.
Feeling drawn to return, she went back to Haiti nine months
later to work in a clinic that had been set up in the tent cities
of Port-au-Prince. This nurse-turned-humanitarian has gone
back several times since to help build housing and provide
basic nutritional support and medical care for the people in
the village of Sous Savane.
Stepping Outside Your Comfort Zone
Her takeaway from this experience: When an opportunity
presents itself to you—as a nurse—be willing to step
outside of your comfort zone and seize it; this could lead
to a life-changing experience.
“For me, that split-second decision changed the rest of my
life. I hope I never lose the compassion, and never miss an
opportunity to help relieve the suffering of others around
the world.”
Answering an Appeal for Help
1,800 Miles from Home
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