associate director of the Nebraskan Student Union, 308.865.8523
World events, seen through the eyes of a nurse who experienced them first-hand, will be the focus of a presentation, “Nurse Without Boundaries,” given by Mary Lightfine Tuesday, Oct. 10, at the University of Nebraska at Kearney.
The LPAC-sponsored presentation, which will take place at 7 p.m. in the Nebraskan Student Union Ponderosa Room, is free and open to the public.
Tim Danube, associate director of the Nebraskan Student Union and LPAC adviser, said Lightfine was chosen to be a featured speaker at UNK because of her presentation covers a diverse gamut of world affairs issues, such as health care, politics and culture.
Danube also said that after Lightfine finishes her presentation, a question-and-answer session will be held, and she will be available afterwards to answer questions individually.
After working as a registered nurse in emergency rooms throughout the United States, Lightfine decided to join the international humanitarian movement by affiliating with Doctors Without Borders and International Medical Corps.
Lightfine has lived and worked in more than a dozen countries, including several hostile nations. She was ambushed and shot at in Somalia, had to step around bodies to feed the living in Southern Sudan and saw children who had been forced to watch their mothers mutilated by rebels in Uganda.
Some of Lightfine’s humanitarian efforts include bringing food to remote villages by helicopter in Nicaragua after Hurricane Mitch in 1998, providing medical aid to Kosovar refugees in the late ‘90s and helping citizens in Afghanistan up until 2002.
In 1999, Lightfine, along with other distinguished members of Doctors Without Borders, was honored with the Nobel Peace prize.
As for her speaking credits, Lightfine has been nominated for “Lecturer of the Year” by Campus Activities Magazine and has been featured in LifeMagazine, The History Channel and ABC News. She recently released NurseNomads and Warlords, a book about her move from Ohio to war-torn Somalia.
