Florence Nightingale Visits Edgewater For National Nurses Week
We all know that Florence Nightingale is the person who gave us our modern day nursing profession but yet if asked what else we know about her, most of us would be hard pressed to offer thoughts about how she came to be this heroine of nurses.
Enter Florence herself, in the person of Megan Wells, who told her story to a group of enthusiastic neighborhood residents at the Edgewater Library on May 7, 2019.
Dressed to a tee in the black crinoline and hat, Florence gave us quite a glimpse into her life and times as she fought her way through customs of the day to become a well-respected and admired nurse. Until Florence came along, the word “nurse” had other, not so proper meanings that left parents and society people aghast at the mere mention of the word.
Florence, of course, had other ideas. Thanks to the encouragement of her Aunt Patty, and the enthusiasm of her father, William Edward (Shore) Nightingale - she was able to read a broad array of books, learn languages, mathematics, and so much more not available to women in mid-19th Europe. As Florence told us, she received her first calling “to serve” when she was only seven years old and would have many more spiritual experiences affirming her desire to serve those who needed healing.
She had an extraordinary life that began with her birth in Florence, Italy, for which her parents named her. She would go on to travel the European continent. In 1854, she brought her knowledge, skill and 38 well-trained nurses to the soldiers fighting the Crimean War, serving in Scutari (modern day Istanbul, Turkey) at the behest of England’s Secretary of State, Sidney Herbert. She would go on to train hundreds of women in her way of nursing, and by extension, she continues to be the “Lady with the Lamp” for those interested in nursing as a profession and the patients they serve.
What a delightful afternoon we spent with a smart, independent and dedicated woman. Nurse and women in general could to have a better role model than Florence Nightingale.
Our thanks to Megan Wells and her fabulous storytelling as the unmistakeable, Florence Nightingale!
For more information on Florence Nightingale, see the following websites:
Florence Nightingale Museum, London
Florence Nightingale: Making of an Icon by Mark Bostridge | Book Review | Book Review 2 | Find it at Chicago Public Library
Florence Nightingale: A Life Inspired by Lynn Hamilton
This program was presented by Friends of the Edgewater Library and the Edgewater Branch Library.
In the photos top to bottom: Photos 1-3, Megan Wells as Florence Nightingale; Photo 4, left to right, Joanne Kitsos, Friends of the Edgewater Library, Gloria Jacobson, Ph.D., RN, Chair and Professor, Department of Health Promotion, Loyola University Chicago, Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing, Joanna Hazelden, Branch Libririan and Megan Wells as Florence Nightingale