Our NFP Nurses mix compassion with strength and wisdom to create magic in the lives of first-time moms and their babies.
Let’s Be Frank: These relationships help save babies, build the confidence of new mothers and improve whole communities. Everyday is a great day to thank our nurses. Their work is endless and their impact is profound.
The volume and culture of our NFP program varies throughout the world but the trusting bonds created stay the same.
Our highly knowledgeable nurses build relationships based on trust and empathy. This trusting bond helps improve the lives of moms, babies and families but also the communities in which they live.
This is the magic of NFP.
The Story of A Resilient Nursing Team
Last summer, our nurses from the Virgin Islands attended a week of our nursing education program at the National Service Office in Denver. At that time they were still recovering from two back-to-back Category 5 hurricanes. Our nurses survived Hurricane Irma when it first struck the island and 14 days later when Hurricane Maria arrived.
These resilient nurses shared the magic and strength between a mother and nurse even during major disasters. Their recollection described the tragic destruction they faced at their own homes and within their own families.
They fulfilled their obligations as nurses to a community in peril despite their personal hardships. And they never missed a beat when it came to checking on the safety and well-being of the moms and babies of our program.
Emotions filled the room as we heard these stories of true strength, human kindness, heroism and the magic of trusting relationships.
Jaime Moreno, our Vice President of Marketing and Communications, knew the core of their strength is the same that runs through every NFP nurse. They reflect what NFP is all about.
“I’m convinced these three women are superheroes after listening to their stories about hurricane Irma and Maria,” he said .
We knew the stories of our team in the U.S. Virgin Islands overcoming these tragedies needed sharing.
Our Visit to The Islands
I visited this resilient team earlier this year to hear their stories first hand and to share these with the rest of the world. As we were preparing to leave, I recall many comments of awe and envy as we were about travel to a “tropical, magical wonderland.”
We did land in this tropical paradise where the color of the vegetation was as vibrant as the sky and the endless backdrop of sea.
Yet, once we checked into our hotel reality set in. The islands were still destroyed by the hurricanes a year before even though tremendous progress had occurred. The hotel we stayed in was badly damaged with half of it still shut down.
As we traveled the roads, we saw the roofs of homes badly damaged, or in some cases completely gone. We passed what appeared to be a scrap metal yard that turned out to be the remains of an office building.
Every place we spoke to survivors, locals and legislators, the conversation over the hurricane was the same. It was still so prevalent and very vivid in their memories. The eye witness accounts were still in the forefront of the minds of this community. They mourned the memory of a neighbor who was sucked out of her own home and thrown hundreds of yards away.
The island is still recovering almost two years later.
Serving Communities and Moms in Crisis
Carmen Vanterpool-Romney, nurse supervisor at the time of the hurricane, took us on a tour of the island. She explained the unique challenges on the island to raise families and improve their lives for generations to come.
She also spoke to the resilience of the families through those disastrous times. Carmen spoke highly of the nurses’ strength as they helped families in dire need who lost their homes and their livelihoods.
As nurses, they had a responsibility to look after the people in their communities. The time they spent in the shelters during the day was cutting into their normal meeting times with their NFP moms and babies.
Rather than missing time with their moms our nurses visited them at night instead of heading straight home to their own families. These tenacious caregivers ventured out into the destruction to deal with unbelievable obstacles. At times, risking their own safety to check in on the safety and security of their moms and babies.
Many traveled through dangerous areas. In fact, one nurse had to change four flat tires over the span of a couple days.
Yet, no barriers deterred them from maintaining their bond with moms because the trust built could not be jeopardized.
Graduation: A time to celebrate resilience
The results of their efforts showed during the graduation event celebrating ten families. The community came together to witness this graduation and support these families and nurses.
Deneisha Brazzle, a graduate and speaker, shared her challenges during the hurricane. She praised the nurses for their emotional encouragement and dedication to her family during their most trying circumstances.
“Two years is what we have to thank the NFP nurses and their associates for all the help they have given us, with their open arms, their attentive ears, their wise mouths, and their caring and adherent supportive mindsets,” she said.
The graduation served as a moment to come together. They processed the hardship they endured and realized their unified strength. In fact, one of the mom’s friends was a neighbor of the woman that was torn from her home during the hurricane.
As each family received their graduation certificates we learned education was important for this group. Every single graduate was currently in school or pursing some type of higher education. Most importantly they all were striving toward a better future for their families.
“Nurse-Family Partnership nurses are the pillars of strength in their community” Jaime recalls. “And these stories affirm it.”
THERE DURING TRYING TIMES
Our nurses share their knowledge often under the most difficult circumstances. They are able to build a genuine and caring relationship based on trust. It is that relationship that bonds our NFP nurses to first-time moms living through hardships.
They connect with a deep sense of mission to help improve the lives of children. They meet this purpose by empowering mothers to see a brighter future for both herself and her child. Our moms create futures they once imagined but deemed impossible due to their circumstances.
NFP is there when it’s time for a mother to break free from her circumstances and provide a better life for herself and her child. Our nurses are ready by her side to support. This is the magic of NFP.
Thank you to our Virgin Islands team for never giving up even in the most trying times, and to all our NFP tenacious caregivers worldwide. YOU are the magic.
TAKE A MOMENT TO SUPPORT THE MAGIC OF THEIR WORK.
