(Photo by http://libraries.stjohns.edu/scientific_inquiry/marine-biology.htm )
As Mary grew up and went into high
school, she was faced with taking care of her mom for about six years. She had
to keep her going by giving her the medicine she needed to take. Taking care of
her mom, made her decide, that she wanted to become a nurse. After graduating
high school, my grandma attended St. John’s University for a year to start nurses
classes. After St. John’s University, she went into nurse’s training at St.
Catherine’s Nursing School for two and a half years. She then became, at the
time right before the end of the war, a nurse in the army for thirteen months.
During her time in the army, she was stationed in many different places, but
two that examples were Fort Belvar and Atlantic City. When she was stationed in
Atlantic City, she helped out at an army hospital. Her patients were mostly
blind patients that couldn’t do the basic everyday actions. Some activities
that she helped them with were bathing the patients and giving them their
medicine. Another problem that many of her patients were dealing with on top of
physical injuries was Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and its effects. To help
them cope with this disorder, she would just talk to them, and also listen to
their stories just for support, not as a doctor. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
is a mental disorder that develops after a terrifying experience that results in physical harm or the threat of
physical harm. Suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder can result in
being startled easily, becoming emotionally numb, lose interest in things they
used to enjoy, having trouble being affectionate, becoming irritable, becoming
more aggressive, and maybe even becoming violent (“NIMH”). She would talk to
them, not just because she felt sorry for them, but also because she knew that
they needed some support. She knew that
sometimes, post-traumatic stress disorder can be followed with depression,
substance abuse, or an anxiety disorder (“NIMH”). Helping these soldiers cope with this disorder
also made her feel good inside. She knew she had done her job when she did more
than just what was expected of her. It also felt good to be congratulated by a
passing bus when she arrived at her home after her assigned tour. After the war
was over, she moved on to be a nurse for twenty one years at St. John’s hospital.
