Life is a great gift of God, and we are grateful to Him for health and happiness. However, eternal life is a greater gift of God, but even the strongest of us struggle with the idea of having to receive that gift. Heaven is promised, and Jesus said it would be wonderful, but we just do not know quite enough about it. This life, even in a fallen world, is at least knowable.
Ena Angela Adams was be
tter known to us in the nursing fraternity in Anguilla as Nurse Adams. She was educated and trained as a Registered Nurse/Midwife in St. Kitts and served in that capacity in the Ministry of Health in the former central government of St.Kitts, Nevis and Anguilla.
In those days nurses were seconded to any of the three islands and Nurse Adams worked at the Cottage Hospital for some time in the early 1960s.The majority of her nursing career was spent in St. Kitts, and while there she worked mostly in community nursing as a District Nurse/ Midwife. Her education and training in nursing management afforded her the opportunity to rise to the prominent position of Matron of the Joseph N France General Hospital in St. Kitts during the late 1970s.
Subsequent her retirement from the central government, Nurse Adams worked as a senior nurse at the Peebles Hospital in Tortola. Following her period of work in Tortola, she was employed by the Government of Anguilla through the Ministry of Health and Social Development as the Senior Nursing Officer (acting) which commenced on the 1st November, 1988, and ended in December, 1989.
Nurse Adams was a leader and a visionary. During the short stint that she was employed in the acting position as Senior Nursing Officer she was able to bring together a small group of senior health professionals to discuss and assist in the negotiations for the extension of the maternity area at the Princess Alexandra Hospital. Whereas the entire maternity wing was not completed until years later her foresight and leadership skills allowed for the foundation of the maternity unit to be laid.
What stands out about Nurse Adams was her insistence that nursing was not an appendage to any other healthcare group or profession but a skill set with its own unique features and distinctive importance.
In her role as mentor, I can recall her encouraging not only us as nurses but those in other health disciplines to conduct ourselves professionally, aim to be the best in your field, and to perform our duties with excellence and integrity.
Following the completion of the acting appointment, Nurse Adams was employed in the Anguilla Public Service on a temporary month to month basis from September 1994 to November 2001, as the first School Health Nurse in Anguilla in the Education Department, and implemented the School Health Programme.
To sum up what we know about Nurse Adams, it can be said that:
• Nursing was her calling, a lifestyle, a way of living.
• When a calming, quiet presence was all that was needed, she was there.
• In the excitement and miracle of birth or in the mystery and loss of life, she was there.
• When a silent glance could uplift a patient, family member or friend, she was there.
• At those times when the unexplainable needed to be explained, she was there.
• When the situation demanded a swift foot and sharp mind, she was there.
• When a gentle touch, a firm push, or an encouraging word was needed, she was there.
• To witness humanity – its beauty, in good times and bad, without judgment – she was there.
• To embrace the woes of the world, willingly, and offer hope, she was there.
• And now, that it is time to be at the Creator’s side, she is there.
She will be remembered for the difference she made during her many years as a nurse, by stepping into the lives of people at special moments.
Therefore, on behalf of the Nursing Fraternity in Anguilla, we extend heartfelt condolences to both her immediate and extended family.
May Her Soul Rest In Peace!
(Published without editing by The Anguillian newspaper.)
