A Different World
National tragedy transforms our lives and our profession

By Barbara Brown, Ed.D., RN, FAAN, Editor, Mountain West Edition
October 8, 2001

The horrific events of terrorism Sept. 11 make writing very difficult, as our country is faced with changes everywhere. Not only will nurses and their roles in health care change, but all citizens have been affected in one way or another and are feeling the change in their everyday lives. We are told to return to a life of normalcy as soon as possible when a tragic event occurs. It took me a year to re-assimilate into a sense of America after living and working in Saudi Arabia from 1987 to 1991. Yes, I was there during the Gulf War and still have my gas mask, just in case.

In retrospect, I know I voluntarily gave up many freedoms to work in an Islamic country. I was the associate executive director at the King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and was able to assist the U.S. military with setting up medical evacuation hospitals during Desert Storm. We were always aware of the potential for terrorism and knew that we had to be cautious wherever we went, due to anti-American sentiment among so many people who did not want us there.

We espouse our freedom of religion, but I could not begin to express this freedom in an Islamic country. I could not wear my nurse's pin from Marquette University, as it has a cross on it. Illegal "coffee hours" on Friday mornings (Friday is the Islamic holy day) replaced any Christian services. A priest was able to come from Europe occasionally, dressed as a salesman or a teacher so we could have a full celebration of Mass. Otherwise, it was undercover laypeople practicing our beliefs. There is the Blue Crescent/Blue Shield and Red Crescent Society instead of the Red Cross. A brochure from Austria with a church on it was confiscated by customs as I returned after a leave and was told it was "haram," meaning evil. Israel is blacked out on the maps; to them, it does not exist.

Yes, the events of Sept. 11 have caused feelings of trepidation and uncertainty to resurface. Even while I lived in Saudi Arabia, we heard about an eventual jihad, a holy war against Christianity. Yet, I came to know a family-oriented people and was privileged to be in their homes for baby-welcoming parties and weddings, and as a guest, even in Bedouin tents in the desert. Any nurse who has cared for people of many different cultures and beliefs will acknowledge that we are all unique individuals with concern for each other. I am crying again as I hear the national anthem and "God Bless America." Yes, I am home in America with my children and 13 grandchildren, but I know that we will never feel the safety and security of America again in the same way.

I have been flying to meetings, even though my travel plans were disrupted, as they were for many, during that awful week of infamy in September. I heard disgruntled passengers complain, and all I could say was, "I am grateful to our Lord that I made it home safely. I am going to church to pray for all those who do not have a home to go to and for those who do not have their loved ones coming home." I am different now as you are.

We may have to return to gas rationing and sugar, coffee and shoe rationing as we did when I was a young girl during World War II. Our practice of nursing will change as more nurses leave with their National Guard units and the Reserves. We will experience an even greater shortage of nurses and a greater demand for our services. Stress (post-traumatic stress disorder) will reawaken in veterans and surface in those who have experienced such grave losses. Physical well-being will be disrupted, as anxiety manifests itself in physiological ways.

Patience and forgiveness with love and respect will bring us together as a profession and as a nation. Hug each other and care for yourselves with the same diligence you give to your patients. You and your loved ones do come first. I am so proud of every nurse, wherever you are, and will continue to support you in whatever way I can. Let me know how you are. Thank you for your commitment to caring.

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