Portrait of a Tender (#8)- Diana - Labor and Delivery

HAPPY INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY!

At the age of 15,  Diana gave birth to premature twin girls in Colombia, South America.  The newborns were born 3 months early, tiny and frail, and stayed hospitalized in the Newborn Intensive Care Unit until close to their due date.  Diana spent those three months at their side, worrying and watching as nurses tended to her daughters and kept them alive.  They were not expected to survive, yet they have thrived.  It is a testament to their indomitable spirits, their mother's love, and the meticulous care given to them.  Diana decided during that time that she wanted to be a nurse some day.

Two years later, in 2002, Diana moved to the United States. She graduated from nursing school in 2012, and was hired onto labor and delivery at SMJH, her "dream job", after six months on a medical/surgical unit.  She worked there as an RN for 10 years and obtained her Nurse Practitioner license in 2020.   She recently took a position as a nurse practitioner with Jefferson OB/GYN here in Charlottesville, Va and is looking forward to continuing her work with mothers and their newborns.

Throughout the pandemic Diana worked on various units at SMJH, including the step-down ICU.  When asked what was most challenging about working as a nurse through the pandemic, Diana did not hesitate.  "Patients not having the support they needed was most difficult to watch.  The isolation, the despair, the loneliness...they were sick and scared and unable to see their loved ones."  People died  and loved ones watched helplessly through their phones.  It has been a most excruciating time for all involved.

#LoveConnectTend 

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