Nursing alumna assists with earthquake relief in Nepal
When Seattle Central nursing alumni Elise Reay-Ellers flew from Seattle to Kathmandu this month as part of an earthquake relief effort, she prepared herself to help set broken bones and provide other emergency care. But the toughest part of the job ended up having nothing to do with the medical workload.
“The biggest challenge is the same as everyday: seeing and talking to all the patients and families at the hospital and hearing their stories of loss,” said Reay-Ellers. “Loss of homes, of lives and loved ones, income, food, animals, all belongings. Most are so poor that they will have to work very hard to survive.”
Reay-Ellers graduated with an associate of applied science degree in Nursing in 1995. She spent 10 days in Nepal as a medical volunteer with ReSurge International, a nonprofit that provides reconstructive surgical care for patients in developing countries. She assisted local surgeons and provided relief to staffers who have been working around the clock since the April 25 earthquake that left at least 7,300 dead.
She returned to Seattle this week, where she works at Swedish Medical Center as a Registered Nurse in the Post Anesthesia Care Unit. Her recent trip to Nepal was just one in a series of trips she has completed to developing nations with ReSurge International, including to Bangladesh and Bolivia to assist surgical teams with the organization.