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My "A-Ha" Moments

Catherine Kamau As a child I never imagined working as a nurse, much less working in maternal health. I was told by my father that being a nurse would be my only opportunity for education beyond secondary school. For some reason he didn’t believe I could be anything else. For most women my age in Kenya, pursuing higher education isn’t feasible unless you have money, so I took the opportunity without high expectations, just gratitude for the chance to study. I soon learned that going to nursing school would become the best decision I never made. It would be the beginning of a lifetime passion for women’s health advocacy.

My first year of nursing school passed slowly. I went through the motions and did the work just like everyone else, but there was one particular moment that instilled in me a lifetime of conviction and dedication, my “a-ha” moment. I was in the midst of a clinical rotation when I noticed a woman sitting in the waiting room surrounded and being chastised by a group of nurses. She had dark circles under her eyes and looked fatigued; her facial expressions screamed out in pain, even though she said nothing. I didn’t even need to tell my feet to move, my body instinctively walked over to inquire as to what had happened. The nurses explained to me that this woman was seeking treatment for an unsafe abortion, but that they refused to treat her to punish her for getting herself into this situation. I was appalled and embarrassed by the lack of compassion of my peers and their lack of dedication to this woman’s well being. We’re not the judges of what is right or wrong. If this poor woman needed medical care, then she should receive it, because that is our job and our responsibility! This was the moment I knew I wanted to work towards the improvement of maternal health, to provide quality care to ALL women. This was my “a-ha” moment.

Today as an experienced health care professional I realize that there were many other moments in my past that reinforced my passion for women’s health, but none could compare to an unexpected yet significant moment on my commute one day. I was on a crowded matatu (Kenyan bus) on my way to pick up my final transcripts culminating my nursing education when a woman sitting directly across from me Matatu went into labor. Throughout the ride she had seemed uncomfortable and in pain. When she knelt on the bus floor, I knew the baby was coming, and quickly. People shouted and I gathered all the courage I had to help her. I kept telling myself that I needed to deliver the baby safely. Equipped with all I learned in school, I still knew I couldn’t deliver this baby alone so I elicited the help of the driver and several other passengers and prepared for the delivery. To further complicate the situation, the baby was breech and I needed to maneuver for safe delivery. Once I was able to get the baby out, I breathed in a sigh of relief, knowing that one of the most terrifying and exhilarating moments of my life was over. As I waited for the placenta to be delivered, I noticed something alarming. Lo and behold, there was another baby! Twenty long minutes later, after the surprise of a lifetime, a happy and healthy twin arrived crying and squealing. Both the newborn babies and mother needed to go to the hospital immediately for postnatal care, so I thanked the driver profusely for his trouble and asked the other passengers for patience as we dropped the mother and babies at Kisii Hospital. It had happened so fast that I had to pinch myself to make sure I wasn’t dreaming!

These moments, although brief, were unforgettable and enduring. They drove me to find my passion and never let me forget the importance of each woman’s life. Now, as VSI’s country program coordinator in Kenya I am working towards improving women’s health each and every day, something my younger self would never have even dreamed of.

My "A-Ha" Moments

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