|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
||||||||||
|
Social |
||||||||||
|
Flight nurse aids Russian residents Mercy Mission By DIANE TURBYFILL, LTN Staff Writer Dec. 28, 2001 - As she flips through her photos, Sherry Hamrick remembers the faces of Russia. Hamrick, who serves with the Air National Guard, has visited the devastated country twice in 2001 — through humanitarian missions. “We’ve had a program with them for a couple of years.” As a flight nurse with the Guard, Hamrick has visited many cities and countries. But her recent trips to Russia have offered a new experience. Rather than working in the air, she is providing education and equipment to residents and professionals. “We’re trying to teach their nurses how to give immunizations,” she said. And the people she helps make the trip worth it. “They’re very thankful for everything you do,” she says. “They’re very grateful.” But it wasn’t just the adults who were memorable. “The kids were really great. They would thank you for their shots and bare their arms willingly,” she said. Hamrick has pictures of the children’s smiling faces, the green country sides and the elaborate architecture of the country. But the beautiful buildings are no indication of the country’s condition. “They’re the poorest country in Europe,” says Hamrick, “so they’re really in bad shape.” Hamrick says doctors make approximately $15 a month. Schools often close during the winter because of the cold temperatures. There is no electricity or heat. Many teachers have to work in the fields to support themselves when the schools close. “Their economy is just really bad,” says Hamrick. And conditions in the orphanages are no better, Hamrick says. While facilities are often clean, the lack of electricity and updated equipment debilitates Russia’s residents. “Their diseases, like hepatitis and tuberculoses, are up,” she says. Hamrick toured many hospitals and says that much of the equipment is outdated. While visiting Russia, Hamrick and her outfit delivered equipment to be given to the hospitals. Insulin is also a much-needed commodity for the country’s diabetics. “Their health is deteriorating because they don’t have insulin.” Hamrick says she has enjoyed both of her trips to Russia, the first in July and the second in December. Her recent trips are not her first with the Guard. Having served for more than 20 years, the Lincolnton resident has traveled to Germany, Panama, Saudi Arabia and many states in America offering relief after floods and hurricanes. Right now Hamrick is on stand by while the country is at war. She says the possibility of active duty is always there. “We got activated during Saudi,” she says. While Hamrick does not know where the National Guard will send her next, she has taken off on a trip of her own this week — to celebrate the season in the Florida Keys. |
||||||||||
|
© 2001 Lincoln Times-News |
||||||||||
|
||||||
|
