Fwd: The experience of one nurse

[Guest guest]

I thought members of Senate would be interested in sharing this email I received from a friend in New York. June

I received the following from a nurse friend of mine .She is not the nurse

who related her experience but I thought you might want to read it

Marge

> I Was There

>

> I am a Registered Nurse, and an EMT. On Tuesday afternoon, I headed for

the city from Orange County, NY. At each Police blockade, I displayed my

> credentials hoping not to be turned away. Each and every time, I was sent

> down roads closed to other traffic and urged to hurry. It was eerie being

> one of the only vehicles on what should have been totally congested

> highways. When I rounded a curve on the West Side Highway that should have

> given me a great view of the skyline, I and the only other car I could

see,

> slowed dramatically. It was then that the magnitude of

> what had happened hit us. The huge column of brown and grey smoke was a

> sight I will never get rid of. I was sent to gathering stations for

medical

> personnel and at one point, was standing at the foot of what was once the

> World Trade Center. Being a native New Yorker, born and raised

> in Brooklyn, the hollow feeling I got was totally consuming.

>

> I spent most of Tuesday night being driven around by two Police Officers

> going to wherever we were needed. I was working with 5 other rescuers on a

> trauma team. What was so unbelievable to me was that I was the only

> American. The Cardiologist, , is from England. Hans, the

Cardio-Thoracic

> Surgeon is from the Netherlands, Herrman, the Anesthesiologist, is from

> Germany. the Doctor, is from Columbia, Mavi, the other nurse is

from

> Chile, Nuna, the other doctor is from

> Hong-Kong. Each was in New York on other business. They were here for Job

> interviews, at conferences, and visiting friends and families. They came

for

> the same reason I did: We all just came there to help.

>

> I will not describe the devastation we saw, or the kinds of horrendous

> injuries we were trying to remedy. I will however, tell you that we and

> everyone else we saw reacted like typical New Yorkers: with a kind

> compassionate and giving attitude. Doors were open, people were grilling

> food on sidewalks to give to us, men and women walked up to us to try to

> give us water, prayers, food and encouragement. Medical supply trucks

backed

> into our areas and dropped off millions of dollars worth of equipment, CVS

> emptied it's shelves of eye wash, Tylenol, Motrin, gauze and tape. Water

> trucks, Poland Springs, Dasani, dropped off loads of bottled water. And

the

> FOOD!!! At midnight, I had a Prime Rib Dinner, around 4AM I had some fresh

> baked ham on a newly baked roll. There was an endless supply of water and

> drinks, fruit, cold cuts and breads. Restaurants were dropping off

fabulous

> trays of their specialties. ordinary people were bringing Dunkin Donuts,

> rolls, butter,clothes, towels, sheets, shovels, water, drinks, cups,

plates

> and

> anything else you can think of. It was the only way they could find to

help.

> People were handing us their home phone numbers and addresses so that we

> could call or stop by for a place to wash up or sleep. At one point,

someone

> had written " God Bless You " in the dust on the windows of

> our vehicle.

>

> Though we chatted professionally when we were traveling, for the most part

> we were silent. Not because we were newly acquainted, but because,well,

what

> could we find to say? We were overcome with what we were involved in. By

the

> time I looked at my watch seriously, it was 3AM Wednesday morning. Like

many

> others there, I had been up for more than 24 hours. We were tired,

exhausted

> and stressed to the max both physically, and emotionally as well as

> professionally. By 6AM when we didn't have our hands on a patient we were

> giddy with fatigue. So were the hundreds and hundreds of other rescue

> workers. Some had friends and families in those buildings. In all that

time

> and all that tension not a single cross word was spoken. Even the press

> behaved in an unusual fashion. Though the cameramen were standing next to

> us,not a one of them were shooting scenes of injured being wheeled into

our

> treatment area. No microphones were pushed on our faces and no reporters

> stood in our way. The air of total respect was overwhelming.

>

> At 8AM I was ordered to either sleep or leave. Not being able to close my

> eyes, I drove home. The magnitude of what was happening hit me when I

> stopped to get a cup of coffee and some gas. I was still wearing the

> disposable surgical gown with my title, and team assignment written in

tape

> across my back. I know I must have looked like something out of a war

movie.

> As I sat alone, a Police Officer tapped me on the shoulder and said,

" Thank

> you. " I lost my composure and sat there crying for a minute. When I

finished

> pumping my gas, the foreign born cashier told me there was no charge for

me,

> asked God to protect me and that I get home safely.

>

> That rest stop on the NY Thruway was filled with military equipment and

men

> and women dressed in fatigues. One Soldier came up and hugged me and

walked

> away without saying a word. I got home and hugged my husband. He too, is

an

> RN and EMT who worked locally that night. I took a shower and

> we went back. We stayed treating people and setting up make shift

Operating

> Rooms for the next 8 hours. Thankfully, the area we were manning was no

> longer needed. Again we were sent to get sleep or go home. Not finding any

> where else we could help, we headed out of the City. On our way we saw

cars,

> trucks, fire apparatus, police vehicles and ambulances from all over.

> ton SC, Pennsylvania,Massachusetts, Canada. We cried at the site of

> all these strangers who gave up their own daily lives to drive all this

way

> to help people they didn't know, never met and had no ties to.

>

> As I write this, I realize that the men and women at whose side I worked

all

> night, I will never see again. The odd part of it is that I never even

said

> good-bye. So to them, I say, you have changed my life and I will never

> forget you or your spirit or what you did for my city. To the

> rest of the world, I say, " Pray. " Pray that we find justice for the

hundreds

> of firefighters, police and rescue workers who will not be home tonight.

> Pray that our children will never wake up to this again. Pray that this is

> the last time our grandchildren will ask, " Do you remember

> where you were when you heard about.... " and pray that , Hans, Herrman,

> Mavi, Nuna Carols, and I never meet again on a day of such hatred, love,

> devastation and hope. It was, as my husband Jon said, New York's worst

> moment and finest hour.

>

> Thanks for listening,

> E.H. RN, EMT