A little history

These are two pictures of me when I was growing up. In the one on the left I am dressed up for a harvest party. I am wearing a nurse outfit my mom had sewn and in my hand is a little medical kit. In the picture to the right I am posing with my three younger sisters. A normal picture except that all of us have balls of some size under our shirts/dresses in an attempt to make us look pregnant. From the looks in my direction in the picture it is obvious that I was the instigator.

My fascination with pregnant women and being a nurse started early and continues to this day. Little did I know during those early years what a nurse-midwife even was but thanks to the Lord’s leading and some wise teachers and mentors along the way today I find myself combining those two loves of being a nurse and taking care of pregnant women.

After graduating from Baptist Christian School (now Horizon Christian School) in Hood River in 1997 I went to nursing school at Seattle Pacific University. It was quite the adjustment as there were more people living on campus than lived in my hometown! Through this program and the professors my world was opened up. It was during nursing school I went on my first international trip to serve in Indonesia. I graduated with Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing in 2001. As a new grad I spent a year working at Seattle Children's Hospital in their oncology unit. Tough work but very rewarding to get know such amazing kids and their families.

Indonesia 2004

Then for a little over 2 years I returned to serve at Bethesda Hospital in Indonesia as a nurse. There I met many friends, explored an amazing place, and discovered I did love taking care of pregnant women and being a part of their birth story. But there in the developing world I came to face-to-face with the tragedy of maternal and neonatal mortality. So many mothers and babies that could have been saved with simple prenatal care and skilled care during birth.

I returned to the US and headed back to school determined learn more about how to save their lives. For the past two years I have been studying at Frontier School of Midwifery and Family Nursing and recently completed clinicals with the midwives at Group Health in Bellevue. After I take my board exams I will officially have my Masters Degree in Nursing and be a Certified Nurse-Midwife. After that I am in the process of preparing to return to serve again at Bethesda Hospital in Indonesia, as a nurse-midwife and mentor.