A Nurse’S Incredible Journey of Faith

Copyright © 2012 Lilieth Ferguson

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2012907362

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ISBN: 978-1-4497-4937-8 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4497-4942-2 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4497-4938-5 (e)

WestBow Press rev. date: 10/17/2012

Contents

Praise Fora Nurse’s Incredible Journey Of Faith

Preface

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Chapter 1.     The Early Years

Chapter 2.     Sickness & Musical Adventure

Chapter 3.     High School

Chapter 4.     Midwifery – A Short Cut

Chapter 5.     Andrews Memorial

Chapter 6.     New Beginnings

Chapter 7.     First Migration – Rude Awakening

Chapter 8.     England, At Last! Not All That Glitters….

Chapter 9.     Nursing – To Be Or Not To Be?

Chapter 10.   Opportunity Knocks Again & A Proposal

Chapter 11.   We Are Family

Chapter 12.   Second Migration

Chapter 13.   Life On The Reserve

Chapter 14.   Returning Home – Strained Vacation

Chapter 15.   Settling In - New Life

Chapter 16.   New Beginnings – Windsor

Chapter 17.   Third Migration – Going Home

Chapter 18.   Jamaica – Settling In

Chapter 19.   Fourth Major Move – Educational Fires Rekindled

Chapter 20.   Toronto, Here We Come! Nursing Hope Realized

Chapter 21.   A Nurse

Chapter 22.   Life Changes

Chapter 23.   Moving On

Praise For

A Nurse’s Incredible Journey of Faith

A Nurse’s Incredible Journey of Faith is one of the most inspirational and honest pieces of our time. Lilieth’s biography is a vivid story of one woman’s audacity to dream, to pursue, and to believe. I am overwhelmed by her extra-ordinary display of human courage, self-determination and divine intervention at play in this work. This book rates as a must read.

Pastor Lloyd W. Wilson, M. Div., Smyrna Seventh-day Adventist church; Executive Committee Member of the Ontario Conference of Seventh-day Adventist.

*****

I thoroughly enjoyed reading your book, A Nurse’s Incredible Journey of Faith, and was variously transported through a gamut of emotions ranging from sadness, fear and concern to relief, sheer delight and jubilation as I literally devoured the pages of your amazing adventure. It is a beautiful and candid story, simply told about a refreshing and innocent Caribbean God-fearing Christian young woman, launched onto the stage of international travel, racism and poverty, all the while striving to realize a relentless ambition, which like the mythical apple of Tantalus, remained for so long just outside her grasp.

It portrayed your indomitable will, your tenacious faith and trust in the God of your parents who became your God also. The palpable spirituality in your book is excelled only by the genuine Christian virtues you daily display to friend and foe alike.

I can, without reservation, enthusiastically endorse A Nurse’s Incredible Journey of Faith for reading entertainment, inspirational motivation, and deep enduring spiritual enrichment.

John L. Jones, M.D.

To God, who is the source of my life and the centre of my joy. Through the valleys and the shadows, He has safely led me, and I owe him an abundance of gratitude for his constant love and care.

To my family, you have been a source of strength and encouragement.

Life is like a bird in flight

Daring to travel by dusk or light.

Oblivious of the pitch dark night,

He races toward the goal in sight.

But lo wind, rain, snow and sleet

And evil forces he was destined to meet,

But nothing can deter his plans

When determined he takes a stand.

Circumstances might cause delay

Seeking to smother the light of hope’s ray,

But courage rises from day to day

For he knows God leads the way.

So struggling one keep moving on,

You soon will enter your promised land.

Success and victory are guaranteed

When God leads you by the hand.

PREFACE

Pulling up roots and relocating is never easy. It is particularly difficult when the new setting is very different from the old. If we add loneliness and adjustment to new cultures and lethal doses of racism, we have a recipe for failure if not met with ample portions of courage, patience and perseverance enabled by the grace of God.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Samantha Bailey of Perfect Pen Communications,

one of the editors of this project. Thank you for your kind words.

Harriett Bynoe, who assisted me in editing this book and whose support I greatly appreciate.

To my dear sister, Ena Hunter, who rediscovered me through reading the manuscript and wholeheartedly gave her stamp of approval.

To Carol, Ken and Donna my beloved children, your endorsement was heart warming.

To Loise Miller, my friend and former travelling partner, thank you for being there for me during those tumultuous years in England.

Smyrna Seventh Day Adventist Church and Choir, who became a vital part of my extended family.

Cylethia Lee, your quiet, but staunch support from the beginning to end means a great deal to me.

Hattie Cooper, God bless you for those long inspirational chats.

To my family and friends who will joyfully celebrate the completion of this journey.

INTRODUCTION

Jamaica, the island in the sun, is the beautiful background setting of my family history and the beginning of my adventures in nursing. My family then consisted of nine siblings, Mom and Dad. We were a close-knit family who enjoyed countless hours laughing and playing together. As Seventh-day Adventists who tried to model practical Christianity, Mom and Dad spent almost a lifetime nurturing and training us. Their lofty ideals for us included the highest possible standard of education, and from as early as I can remember, I was encouraged to strive for excellence.

Although they had their share of life’s challenges while raising nine robust children, I truly believe that my mom and dad were two of the most wonderful parents who ever walked the face of the earth. Among other things, they left us a legacy of love. Through their love, they taught me the value of growing into a special human being. I was shown that true beauty radiates from within, and my place to fill in the world was special. Their love and trust in both God and each other inspired me. It helped me to develop self-esteem and self-confidence as a black woman; as a result, I felt compelled to form a relationship with God. Thus, when the clouds of adversity threatened to crush my dreams, I was sustained by my Maker’s love.

Jamaica was and still is an island of diverse cultures: blacks, whites, Asians and Indians all merged in one vast melting pot. From an early age, it was instilled in me, and I still firmly believe, that each person should be judged on his or her individual merit and not by the colour of his or her skin, race or nationality. Yet, growing up in the early 30s, it was evident that people were categorized by the colour of their skin. The fairer a person’s complexion, the more opportunities seemed to be at his or her disposal. But, in general, Blacks were mainly limited by their circumstances.

However, when I grew up and traveled to other countries, I had a rude awakening. I discovered that as a black woman, I was part of the minority class and accorded the lowest possible status in society. Therefore, I was bound by limitations imposed on me by a society which would have me impotent in terms of academic, social and financial advancement.

In the mid-1900s, nursing was a sought after profession. It was a profession that provided dignity and service to humankind. It offered immeasurable self-fulfillment and opportunities to improve oneself and the community. The aspirations of the minority man or woman did not fall short of these hopes, yet the odds against us were so immense that to many of us, these goals seemed unreachable. But nursing was my life’s passion, and at no time did I ever consider another profession.

After completing an initial practical nursing course, I discovered that the advance courses were only offered on Saturdays. This meant that I was not free to observe or worship on my Sabbath as I would have liked. This mind-set coupled with my need for adventure led me to study in England.

With a promise to my parents to return in three years, I departed to pursue this dream—a dream that would span over twenty years in three different countries and almost cost me my sanity. I paid a heavy price to pursue it. I never did see my father again and enjoyed only a brief visit with my mom before her death.

In my wildest imagination, I could never have envisioned the sequence of events that would unfold in my life. Time and again, I was forced to battle for the right to have the letters,Reg. N attached to my name. Finally, after years of studying, my dream came true. I am now a Registered Nurse with a Bachelor of Science degree.

Oh, I thought I heard someone say: There goes another black sorry story or someone fishing for compassion. Well, just hold your horses. My story is not about looking for compassion or pity. It is about my desire to encourage everyone who dares to reach for the stars. Through all the twists and turns that my life took, there was one constant: my heavenly Father. I trust that you will discover, as I did, the sustaining power of this almighty God.

Chapter 1

The Early Years

I was born in the hills of St. Andrew, one of the most picturesque spots on the island, to two special people, my mother, Albertha, and my father, Arthur. Before my birth, they had already been blessed with four children, three girls and one boy. On July 20 th, 1931, they became the parents of a special bundle of joy: yes me, another daughter. I’m sure they were hoping for a boy to balance the equation, but there is no doubt that I was a welcomed treasure to the family.

When I grew up, they told me that I was a beautiful, plump and quiet-mannered child. Between the two to eight years after my arrival, four other brothers were born. I was a happy child with four older siblings who watched out for and took care of me and four younger ones whom I could boss around and protect. Since I was the last girl in the family, I always felt it gave me a special edge as I was often referred to as the baby of the girls, and my parents made sure I was treated as such.

Life in the 50s in Jamaica was pure, simple and enjoyable, much like the water we drank. Only those who have drunk this water can understand the experience of tasting it. The water was collected as it dripped from the clean protected rock, which lined one of the caves in our neighbourhood. Our cave was about half a mile from home, and my older siblings took turns carrying the water in buckets either on their heads, which was usually easier, or in their hands. The water was then stored in a clay pot to keep it cool, fresh and very delightful to the taste.

There were numerous kinds of fruit trees surrounding my home; some of them were so close that I would often reach through my window and pick the ripe fruits. Grapefruit and orange trees mingled with Star apples, Jackfruit and tangerine trees. But my favourite fruit was the mango, which on several occasions replaced my regular breakfast. In addition to all of these, there was one special treat that came from quite a distance—the famous sugar cane. Dad often brought this home from far away fields.

Back then we had few material possessions. There were times when food was rationed, and we had to depend on the natural resources like corn and the small quantities of left-over vegetables which we gleaned from Dad’s garden. Having been trained to do without some of what we call necessities today and to deal with disappointments prepared me for the hard knocks of life.

We were encouraged to value the simple things in life and to enjoy them to the fullest. With hardly any distractions and not many modern conveniences, my family was able to spend more quality time together, playing, singing and just having fun. When there was no television, we drew practical pictures and enjoyed the beautiful scenes of nature. When there was no electricity, we used the majestic moonlight and the fireflies to guide us as we played outdoors at night. In place of the radio, we often met in the family room and sang songs of praise. Although we had no musical instruments to accompany us, the nine of us produced beautiful harmonies, to the delight of our listening neighbours. They often told us that we sounded like a professional choir.

As I think back on those days, I can see where the seed was sown for my passion for music and choir work. Maybe if the circumstances had been different, we would have formed a group. But those things were not thought of then in our family, even though Dad often sang solos at church. We were content to make beautiful music in our living room to entertain ourselves and our neighbours.

It wasn’t until much later in my life that I realized we were considered poor. It’s a cliché that circumstances or people should not dictate one’s feelings. I’ve proven that to be true in many of my life’s experiences. I’ve discovered that a positive attitude, born from inner peace and happiness, can help me surmount many obstacles.

Later in this book, I will share some of these life-changing experiences, but before doing so, I will tell you that I almost never made it to my fourth birthday. My sister often reminds me of this close call with death. Being only three years plus at the time, I have no recollection of this event, and to this day, no one knows what caused my illness. My entire body was affected, and I lay in a semi-comatose state. The doctors did all they could, but my condition worsened. It seemed hopeless.

As the story goes, a good neighbour of ours came by, and viewing the grim scene, the only words she could utter was to ask my mother, Miss Ruthy, the breath no left the body yet? For her and the members of my family, my death seemed imminent. Yet, my mom responded quietly and calmly that her precious child was still alive.

I survived because God had a plan for my life. There was a special place He needed me to fill.

From a very early age, I had a love for nursing, and as I grew older, this love intensified. I was captivated at the sight of nurses on duty in their white uniforms, shoes and caps. To me, they seemed like angels. Back then, graduate nurses wore only white uniforms. No pastel colors were allowed.

I wanted to be a nurse so badly that in my last year of elementary school, I would often dream I was in nursing school only to awake with the disappointing realization that I had not yet entered high school. My mother was the first person to remark about my potential ability as a nurse—an ability she observed as I cared for my family members when they were sick.

I would keep vigil over them at night, even cradling their heads in my arms to comfort them. Mom would tell me, You were born to be a nurse. And though I did not fully grasp the meaning of what she said, those were the small beginnings which would set the stage for my development as a nurse.

It would not be an easy road. Little did I know that it would take over 20 years before I would reach my goal. Wrapped in the innocence of a child, I assumed that with the support of my family, especially that of my mom and dad, there was nothing I couldn’t achieve.

*****

Arthur Samuel

Standing at six feet tall, my dad had a fair complexion, was extremely handsome and well-loved in his community. He was born of poor parentage, but inherited true Christian values which gave him the strength of character that made him the model husband and father he was. His love for his family was unconditional and extraordinary. It was easy for us children to see how he treated our mother like a queen. With fresh milk and eggs from the animals he kept, he would whip