International Nurses Day: 5 times nurses' bravery saved lives
Nurses work tirelessly for hours, yet, never get enough appreciation. But today, it's all about celebrating them. The birth anniversary of Florence Nightingale, May 12, was chosen as International Nurses Day, a tradition that began in 1965. These invisible professionals have been contributing to health care and making our lives easier for decades. On their day, here are five stories of nurses' bravery.
Nurse crosses crocodile-filled river to treat patients
Sunita Thakur, a Chhattisgarh nurse crosses the Indravati river every day, on a makeshift boat, to ensure women in Dantewada (a Naxal-affected area) receive treatment. In her brave quest, Sunita came face to face with wild animals and crocodiles many times, but she didn't let fear take her over. Sunita has been following the same routine for past seven years.
Nurse saves pilot's life, 30,000 feet above sea-level
On her way home to California from Iowa, in January 2014, Linda Alweiss saved a life 30,000 feet above sea-level. She saved the life of the pilot, using a defibrillator and an IV, who was having a heart-attack. Alweiss reportedly asked the co-pilot if he knew the controls, so she could concentrate on the sick one.
Nurse saves a man's life in a pub
When Louise Williams was relaxing at a pub in Hornsey, North England in 2016, she learnt a man was stabbed in a gang-related violence. Williams asked the bartender to give her a bath towel and pressed it against his stomach to stop the bleeding. An ambulance came soon and the nurse's quick thinking saved a man's life.
Nurses die saving patients' lives in Kolkata
Nurses P.K. Vineetha and Remya Rajan, who worked at a Kolkata hospital died in 2011, as they tried saving patients. The hospital caught fire and the nurses fought valiantly to save as many patients as possible. "There were nine patients in the ward and they could save eight of them," a hospital official had revealed back then.
'Angel of Siberia' saves lives despite being sacked
During World War I, Swedish Nurse Elsa Brandstrom was treating German prisoners of war in 1915. When her Russian work permit was revoked, Brandstrom continued saving lives, illegally, for two years. She was arrested in Omsk in 1920. Upon release, she went to Sweden and began working for POWs. Her dedication towards her duty earned her the title 'Angel of Siberia'
