story795.xml
Title
story795.xml
Source
born-digital
Media Type
story
Date Entered
2002-06-19
911DA Story: Story
Nurses from all over the nation were gathered in Reston Virginia representing all the different nursing organizations. Our goal was to unite as Registered Nurses in the face of the decline of RNs in the workforce providing care to patients and teaching of the profession for future nurses. Different groups of nurses who had never sat at the table before were together for a common cause to perpetuate the profession of nursing. We were divided into 10 groups, many differences came to light among individuals in the groups as we discussed how we could all unite with a common dialogue that would be subsequently know as the 10 domains of Nursing's Call to the Profession lead by the American Nurses Association.
It was the last day of a 4 day meeting and during the morning session the main faciliatator came to share news that a plane had flown into the one of the World Trade Towers saying that it was thought to be an accident. One of the members of my group was a military nurse and she immediately called her post. I remember her saying it was no accident.
Everyone immediately gathered outside of the meeting rooms. Then we heard that the other tower had been struck and then that the Pentagon a few miles from had been struck. Everyone was in shock and gathered searching out colleagues that we knew personally and then hearing people who work in NYC and Pentagon wondering about their colleagues and friends. It made all our differences seem so trivial. As RNs we just wanted to do something and be useful. We wanted to go and help, we wanted to donate blood, but we were told that our offers were appreciated but we should just stay put . Everyone just stood around the TVs in the lobby holding onto each other.
There was a computer convention going on at the same hotel. People were trying to email and call, but very few could get connected. My husband had gotten through to the hotel from Ohio about 11:30am, someone found me and gave me the message he called. I couldn't get through to him until 2:30pm.
He said, he was changing the oil in the van and would come and get me after he did the feeding on the farm. I talked with my other friends from Ohio who had been trying to get a rental car to no avail and we made a list of the who wanted to ride back to Ohio. I called him at 4pm and said come and get us.
He waited until our daughter got home from school and told her he was going to get Mommy. She said, no at school had told them about it. Her teacher knew I was in the DC area. She stayed with Grandma and Grandpa.
My husband drove all night from Ohio to Reston. He said the roads were empty. He drove a white van and was stopped a couple times by police. Once he told them what he was doing they let him proceed. He said, they looked into the van. Tim said, that it was strange to drive and not hear or see any air traffic, but he could hear a swoosh every once in a while assuming it was a military aircraft without lights.
While he was driving, I walked the streets of the hotel/retail complex with stores and restaurants with a friend. We were in a daze. The restaurants were 1/2 full but quiet as all news was on everywhere. Some shops and restaurants had hand written signs saying they were closed to go home and be with family. We wished we were home with family, but prayed for those who would never be with family again.
My husband made it the hotel about 7am, he slept for a couple hours and then we started the drive home. We were able to bring 4 other RNs home with us. It was a long drive, but we were all thankful to be coming home. I will be forever thankful for my "Knight in Shining Armor". Everyone at the Call to Profession bonded that day. We are now sharing our information about RNs uniting as the Call to the Nation. We are all thankful that there is a nation that RNs can provide care to.
I am thankful to my colleages in healthcare who were there that day to provide care for those involved directly with 9/11.
Reston, Virginia at the Call to Profession for Nursing
It was the last day of a 4 day meeting and during the morning session the main faciliatator came to share news that a plane had flown into the one of the World Trade Towers saying that it was thought to be an accident. One of the members of my group was a military nurse and she immediately called her post. I remember her saying it was no accident.
Everyone immediately gathered outside of the meeting rooms. Then we heard that the other tower had been struck and then that the Pentagon a few miles from had been struck. Everyone was in shock and gathered searching out colleagues that we knew personally and then hearing people who work in NYC and Pentagon wondering about their colleagues and friends. It made all our differences seem so trivial. As RNs we just wanted to do something and be useful. We wanted to go and help, we wanted to donate blood, but we were told that our offers were appreciated but we should just stay put . Everyone just stood around the TVs in the lobby holding onto each other.
There was a computer convention going on at the same hotel. People were trying to email and call, but very few could get connected. My husband had gotten through to the hotel from Ohio about 11:30am, someone found me and gave me the message he called. I couldn't get through to him until 2:30pm.
He said, he was changing the oil in the van and would come and get me after he did the feeding on the farm. I talked with my other friends from Ohio who had been trying to get a rental car to no avail and we made a list of the who wanted to ride back to Ohio. I called him at 4pm and said come and get us.
He waited until our daughter got home from school and told her he was going to get Mommy. She said, no at school had told them about it. Her teacher knew I was in the DC area. She stayed with Grandma and Grandpa.
My husband drove all night from Ohio to Reston. He said the roads were empty. He drove a white van and was stopped a couple times by police. Once he told them what he was doing they let him proceed. He said, they looked into the van. Tim said, that it was strange to drive and not hear or see any air traffic, but he could hear a swoosh every once in a while assuming it was a military aircraft without lights.
While he was driving, I walked the streets of the hotel/retail complex with stores and restaurants with a friend. We were in a daze. The restaurants were 1/2 full but quiet as all news was on everywhere. Some shops and restaurants had hand written signs saying they were closed to go home and be with family. We wished we were home with family, but prayed for those who would never be with family again.
My husband made it the hotel about 7am, he slept for a couple hours and then we started the drive home. We were able to bring 4 other RNs home with us. It was a long drive, but we were all thankful to be coming home. I will be forever thankful for my "Knight in Shining Armor". Everyone at the Call to Profession bonded that day. We are now sharing our information about RNs uniting as the Call to the Nation. We are all thankful that there is a nation that RNs can provide care to.
I am thankful to my colleages in healthcare who were there that day to provide care for those involved directly with 9/11.
Reston, Virginia at the Call to Profession for Nursing
Collection
Citation
“story795.xml,” September 11 Digital Archive, accessed January 9, 2025, https://911digitalarchive.org/items/show/9222.