Article 14-1: Her Legacy Lives On
By Jessica Gendereau
Her hands wrinkled – 22 years of service
Aiding the sick, this was her purpose.
Her goal was to make a change
Carefully, intently, she tried to arrange
Her deadlines and duties, to achieve her dream
“Impossible!” said everyone, “that’s how it seems”
Against the odds – a drunk husband and six children
She beat their doubts, she was one in a million
By day, she graced the sick with her touch,
Others tried to compare, but couldn’t by much
She built a bridge for the doctors, who didn’t understand
The language of their patients, she spoke Ojibwe first hand.
By night, a mother and wife getting struck in the head,
By a mad drunk who listened to rumours from his friend,
He beat her and beat her without an end
For his wife was “unfaithful” and deserved to be dead.
No one believed her – neither doctors nor the police
Despite the big bruise that everyone sees
It doesn’t matter, she’s strong – she had to be
She pushed through for the love of her family
Her joy was the smiling faces of patients now well,
Their grief once stricken due to a sick spell
This was more than her – not a single soul can supersede,
That feeling she received, when she comforts those in need
Nothing else she could’ve done, more was meant for her
Her desires, so strong that no one could deter
Her life – not wasted and not just a blur
Instead full of purpose, she had been heard,
One day, her time came, when she had to pass,
Her grand-daughter’s face – the face she saw last,
From that day forward her grand- daughter swore
That no one should forget the life of her mentor
Years passed, and still her legacy lives on,
Her granddaughter now studies from dusk till dawn
A promise to fulfill – she will not quit
Until she’s a nurse, she will commit.
About the Poet: Jessica Gendereau was born in Thompson where she spent 10 years of her life before moving to Winnipeg for another 10 years. She the moved back home and enrolled at UCN in the Bachelor of Arts with Nursing Intent program. Jessica chose the nursing program because she had a very close relationship with her Granny who was the first female nurse in Pinefalls Hospital where she worked for 22 years. Jessica is engaged to her fiancé Ramesh Devendra, and the couple is scheduled to get married June 2018.
Instructor’s Remarks: Jessica Gendereau was in my class of Thematic Approach to the Study of Literature in Winter 2018. This course is designed for Nursing Intent Program. The theme is Illness and Health in Narrative. As a part of orientation of this class, I invited students to tell their motivations of pursuing nursing studies. Jessica told the class that she wanted to pass on the legacy of her grandmother who was the first female nurse in Pinefall Hospital. “Legacy Lives On” is a touching story of her grandmother who inspired Jessica to become a nurse. (Dr. Ying Kong)