Nevada RNformation - March 2011

Page 14 • Nevada RNformation March, April, May 2021
Nurses in the News
Tracey Long PhD, MS, MSN, APRN-BC, CCRN
The daily work of nurses is often unseen but deeply felt by the souls they serve.
We have all recently seen disturbing national and world events that can leave you
feeling paralyzed, hopeless and insignificant. Seeing that one stone thrown into a
pond can send endless ripples to be felt on the other side of the water far away, can
help us remember the power for good of one nurse’s actions.
One example of the positive impact of one person’s actions on many others
is that of a humble nursing student who chose to turn sorrow and grief into
goodness. Jacklyn Lemoine knows the fatal effects of cancer too well. Her mother
died of breast cancer and her father died after battling prostate cancer for years.
Her brother chose to deal with the stress and trauma of those losses in maladaptive
ways by covering the sorrow with drugs and alcohol. Jacklyn decided to transform
her sorrow into tangible gifts that would be given to other women also experiencing
cancer and created “Debbie’s Glam Baskets” in honor of her mother Debbie. With
donations from family and friends and generosity of others who responded to her
GoFundMe project, she purchased and put together helpful care kits designed
with natural products that a woman going through breast cancer would use and
appreciate. Each bag is worth $150 and includes natural products without pesticides
or colorings such as deodorant, nail polish, bath treatments, dietary supplements,
a hand crocheted hat, socks, hair pins, nail and lip care, wipes and more that are
gentle on a fragile body fighting cancer. She recently donated seven bags to the
oncology unit at Summerlin Hospital in Las Vegas where the bags will be gifted
to women actively receiving chemotherapy. To watch videos about her mission,
to donate or help assemble these glam bags, please contact her at https://www.
facebook.com/Debbiesglambaskets/
Another organization that sends out ripples of impact for good is the Nevada
Nurses Foundation, which is the charitable and philanthropic arm of the Nevada
Nurses Association (NNA). Their mission is to increase access to quality health care
for Nevada citizens by promoting professional development of nurses through
recognition, grants, and scholarships. Each one volunteer ripples positive blessing
to our own Nevada Nurses. To learn more about this organization and become
involved go to: https://nvnursesfoundation.org
The art and science of nursing heroes begins in nursing school and an
organization that helps grow these young nurses, who will quickly become our
nursing colleagues is the Student Nurse Association. Most Nevada nursing schools
have a chapter where students learn organizational skills and leadership and are the
boots on the ground for dozens of community service projects each year including
blood, food and clothing drives. If you have an organization that is looking for
young volunteer health care workers, you can reach out to any of our Colleges of
Nursing and speak to the faculty advisor to create connections. If you are looking for
a worthwhile organization to share your expertise and volunteer hours, you can also
go online to www.justserve.org to identify an organization you share an interest
with and be a movement for good. More than ever, a world-wide pandemic has
taught us all that we are all connected with each other and the positive actions of
one can truly make an impact for good on countless others around us.
Jacklyn Jemoine with her Glam Baskets Feb. 2021