When I was young and graduating from nursing school, I developed an interest in the hospital ship, the S.S.Hope that traveled the world to offer medical and surgical assistance to people in need. It was a dream to travel with this ship and render care. But I was young. Marriage and family got in the way of that dream. I had the good fortune of having a director of nurses in my first job who did indeed travel with that ship. She has since died, and I am so very sorry that I did not take the time to speak with her at length about her experiences. The ship is no longer in service.

Fast forward 42 years. In 2008 I was honored to receive Caregiver of the Year at Lakepointe Medical Center and in recognition of this great honor, the Tenet Corporation wanted to donate to a charity of my choosing. When my supervisor called to share this with me, I did not hesitate and told her I very much would want that to go to the organization called "Doctors Without Borders", also known as Médecin Sans Frontières or MSF. I like to think of it as being called Doctors and Nurses Without Borders! This organization was begun in December 1971 in Paris. MSF provides assistance to victims of disasters regardless of religion, politics, race or creed and are often found in war torn areas or areas of natural disasters. These volunteers not only risk their own lives to violence connected with war but also to the multitude of illnesses they are there to treat.

In 1999 the organization was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, and I quote the Nobel Peace Prize Committee when they said: "The peace Alfred Nobel was thinking of when he established the prize was a peace that is rooted in people's hearts and minds. By showing each victim a human face, by showing respect for his or her human dignity, the fearless and selfless aid worker creates hope for peace..."

It has now been a little over a year since that donation was made in my name. During that period of time I have followed the activities of MSF on the internet and have recently read several books about this. The first I read was, "Healing Our World" by David Morley and "Six Months in Sudan" by Dr. James Maskalyk. These books touched me deeply. I am about to begin reading "Hope in Hell" by Dan Bortolotti.

The volunteers who do this are truly my heros. They many times put themselves in potential danger to help care for so many human beings in all parts of the world who are destitute. They are exposed to a myriad of diseases, many of which are unknown to us in this country. They are a beacon in the darkest of night.

Dr. James Maskalyk said it well in sharing his experiences in hopes that we will better understand that...
"it's not about trying to reconcile two different worlds, it's about understanding that there's only one."

I am passionate about this organization and the challenging work that it does. I have signed up to give a monthly donation to support the cause. Would I like to be a part of this organization? Yes, most definitely however, I am not sure that I would have the stamina or be brave enough to do this. It is extremely hard work with long hours in difficult living situations. My dream would be to photograph these people in action to let the world know that MSF supports the humanitarian effort for all people throughout the world.

Please... if you have an interest in this organization, you may learn more at:
http://doctorswithoutborders.org/index_alt.cfm

For those of you who may not be in the medical field, one third of the volunteers are non-medical. It truly takes a team to make this work. Follow your heart and your passion. Help that beacon in the night to shine brightly for human beings all over the world in whatever way you can!