| MARY LIGHTFINE, NURSE WITHOUT BOUNDARIES |
 Can one person possibly make a difference in a world filled with chaos? YES, after working sixteen years in emergency rooms throughout the United States, Mary Lightfine, a nurse, pilot and a self-professed adrenaline junkie, packed her bags and moved from New Straitsville, Ohio to Mogadishu, Somalia. This decision gave her a chance to feel what war, starvation and desperation was like from another completely different perspective that changed her life forever. During the past twelve years she has lived and worked in more than a dozen countries, including some of the most hellish spots on earth. Mary was ambushed and shot at in Somalia, delivered babies in the jungles of Sri Lanka, and traveled by jeep, foot and donkey in perilous Afghani Mountains full of land mines, -- to help isolated inhabitants. -- Mary brought food to remote villages by helicopter in Nicaragua, and Louisiana after the hurricanes and to starving refugees in South Sudan following the destruction of their villages by government alliances. She was one of the first to provide medical aid to Kosovar refugees who had experienced unthinkable horrors. -- Mary is a seasoned veteran of the Nobel Prize winning organization, Doctors Without Borders. She is also founder and President of Volunteers Without Boundaries. Through her compelling stories, Mary Lightfine will show you how you can make a difference in your life and in the world around you.
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| Nominated Lecturer of the year by Campus Activities Magazine |
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| Mary Lightfine's NEW BOOK - Nurses Nomads and Warlords |
Buy a Book
www.nursesnomadsandwarlords.com |
-PROLOGUE-
THE DREAM
Mogadishu, Somalia, 1992
The oppressive night air smothers my body, rousing streams of sweat that bond my breasts to the gauzy fabric of my now translucent nightgown. Tiny pebbles dig into my naked feet as I creep through the dark courtyard. The dim light of a crescent moon guides me through the unfamiliar stillness. My steps are soundless. Iron gates and towering concrete walls surround me like the body of a mythical god, jealous of my burning desire for freedom. Quietly I approach the iron portal and stand in perfect silence, fearful of waking my jealous captor. Just beyond the gate, Freedom lures with dozens of minute flashing lights. The imprisoning metal ribs and resolute walls seem to tighten with every call from freedom's seductive flares.
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My fingers grip the cold, iron bars as I press against them with desperate thrusting motions, leaning and pulling in fervent response to freedom's wooing lights. The lights respond with increased frequency until suddenly the gates give way and I am propelled onto a bed of fine sand....
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Mary has been seen on countless news headlines, The History Channel, LIFE magazine, professional journals, and books. Mary's book, Nurses, Nomads and Warlords was released in November of 06. Her recently published pieces include:
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- Nurses, Nomads, And Warlords, By Mary Lightfine with Kathy Craven, Luthers Publishing,
ISBN 1-877633-79-8. available at www.nursesnomadsandwarlords.com and www.amazon.com
- American Journal of Emergency Medicine, International Emergency Medicine, Our waiting room spans the globe, Vol. 23, NO 3, page 404-406, May, 2005
- Emergency Physicians Monthly, March 2002, front page story, "After the Attack."
- Unveiling the Real Terrorist Mind, 2002 Xlibris Corporation, ISBN # 1-4010-5679-2, page 26, "A letter From Afghanistan."
- ABC news, special correspondent, four part series:
www.abcnews.com/sections/living/dailynews/mitchdiary1981118.html
- American Journal of Nursing (AJN), August 1999, vol. 99, no.8, pg.22, Letter from Macedonia
- Without Borders, Mary's thirty-minute mini-documentary was released in December of 2002. A complimentary copy will be donated to your college library upon request.
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Check out Mary's other web sites for more information:
www.nursesnomadsandwarlords.com
www.volunteerswithoutboundaries.com |
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ADDITIONAL STORIES ABOUT MARY
After Hurricane Mitch struck Nicaragua in 1998 Mary Lightfine responded to the disaster as a volunteer for DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS. She delivered emergency supplies and food to isolated villages by Helicopter. Mary kept a diary which shared with ABC NEWS as their special correspondent.
"Refugees from Kosovo came to our Camp to offer their help. They had recently lost everything they held dear yet were willing to donate their time. They described a lifestyle similar to my own. Every time they recanted their story I could picture their home, family and neighborhoods. I could feel their pain." More about Mary in Macedonia:
LIFE magazine, June 1999, pg. 71, Nurse without Borders.
International Journal of Trauma Nursing. Tough as Nails, Heart of Gold, Nurses in the refuges Camps of Macedonia by Judith Stoner Halpern, RN, MS, CEN, Pg 84, Volume5, NO 3. July-September 1999
JAMA, August 4, 1999, Vol. 282, No 5 pages 413 - 423. Mary Lightfine's story is on pg. 420
American Journal of Nursing, August (AJN) 1999, Vol. 99, No 8. Mary Lightfine's story is on pg. 22
In December 2001 during the bombardment Mary crossed the border into Afghanistan where she traveled through perilous mountains laden with land mines. She traveled into remote villages by foot, donkey and jeep to bring hope to isolated inhabitants. Learn more about Mary in Afghanistan:
EMERGENCY PHYSICIANS MONTHLY, After the attack, March 2002. Cover story by Mary Lightfine
ADVANCE FOR NURSES, serving RN's in Florida, Crossing the border by Pamela Tarapchak, pg 23, March 4, 2002. Vol. 3. No. 5
PBS: THE JOURNAL, PBS / WBGU, Bowling Green State University, Ohio, 3/22/02. A special 30 minute video interview with Mary, recorded live upon her return from Afghanistan.
FILMS
DOCUMENTARY: WITHOUT BORDERS, A 2002 mini documentary covering Mary's work in Kenya, Sudan, Afghanistan and Somalia, produced by Mary Lightfine and Christine Magee. A complimentary copy will be donated to your College library after each lecture.
HISTORY CHANNEL: MODERN MARVELS: BATTLEFIELD MEDICINE, Hearst Entertainment / Actuality Productions, for the History Channel.
PBS: THE JOURNAL, PBS / WBGU, Bowling Green State University, Ohio, 3/22/02. A special 30 minute video interview with Mary upon her return from Afghanistan.
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In 2001 Richard Norris, Mary's former High School Teacher surprised her with a beautiful flower he developed and grew himself.
Click here to learn more
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Want to know more about Mary?
Click here for a Google search on "Mary Lightfine".
You'll be amazed!
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