International Women’s Day

Time to Read

10 minutes

Date

08 March

My inspirational woman is…

“My youngest daughter Georgia, who is a student nurse in her 2nd year. She is a caring, kind and compassionate person and she will make a wonderful nurse. She’s inspiring because of her enthusiasm and eagerness to do well and look after people in need of nursing care.” – Karen

“Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing, is a woman who inspires me. She gave nursing a favourable reputation and became an icon of Victorian culture.” – Yvonne

“My mum inspires me. She is a retired infant school teacher. Looking after five children and a husband whilst working. Nothing was ever too big or too difficult to deal with. A woman of virtue and dignity. Her gracefulness and determination at achieving better and still inspires me to date.” – Winnie

“My sister Natasha inspires me. She is a Thornbury nurse and I have had the wonderful opportunity to work alongside her, caring for clients and their families. She is an excellent nurse and always has the best interests of children at heart. When she not working, she is always running! Her passion is running, and she has completed many ultra-marathons and regularly leads blind people in running also. She is kind, beautiful and very inspiring. I am grateful to have always had such positive influence in my life.”- April

“Tina Turner is a woman who has greatly inspired me and given me the strength and energy to overcome my own troubles in life. She is someone who experienced a great deal of trauma in her earlier life; maternal abandonment as a child, and later years of domestic abuse from her previous husband. This was back in the day when no one went public about their troubles. It’s hard to believe this now, however back then woman had few rights in the home, and the law backed away from ‘domestics’ as they were called. Tina left her married life in the late 1970’s with nothing except her name, given to her by her husband. Eventually she wrote a book about her life in the mid 1980s, and this was read by my young self, at a time when I felt completely alone with my own troubles. Parts of her life resonated strongly with my own, and I realised through reading about her life that we don’t have to let others define who we are. Not only can we survive trauma, but we can learn to “turn poison into medicine” (Tina’s own words). We can learn to turn the most awful experiences into strength, compassion and kindness for ourselves and for others, and be defined by this strength. And this is what I am learning and have learned in my own life. I have Tina Turner to thank for this; a trail blazer, and a woman who has stayed true to herself. She has written 3 books about her life. She also has a musical called Tina. Once the pandemic ends, if you get a chance to see it, you will leave feeling inspired by this woman, bristling with self-belief of your own life trauma’s, and truly Shakin’ a Tail Feather!” – Emma

“The woman who inspires me the most is my mum. She is such a strong, motivated and hard-working woman. She was brought up working around the farm with her siblings instead of going to school. She learnt from others as she grew up. She never gives up, no matter how bad things are, she always keeps the faith and hope. She always says, “No matter how bad things look or how you feel remember everything has a season and nothing lasts forever.” This has taught me to hang in there and to remember better days will come.”- Juliet

“Professor Dame Elizabeth Nneka Anionwu inspires me. I am forever grateful to have met her during my studies and hear her struggles from birth. As a man, I hope to have her strength and courage to continue pursuing what is right and true relentlessly. She will forever be my strength.”- James

“My mother inspired me; she was a woman who stood by the truth. She loved us all (her 9 children) and always taught us about God. She always reminded us that one reaps what he or she sows, and that God is always watching. When we used to lie my mum would always say ‘you can hide it from us, but you can’t hide it from God.’ Her Christian teachings made me to be a virtuous woman”- Joana

“My late mum, she brought us up mostly by herself, took care of her disabled sister for over 25 years and battled cancer for nearly 2 years before she passed away. Yet still made us laugh and cry in her final days.” – Tracey

“I can hold my head up high today because of my Grandmother. I lost my Dad at 12, and she took up the task of raising me, my late brother and late sister all by herself. She saw me through high school where I attended one of the most prestigious flying schools in Africa. she taught me at a young age to always be happy with what God gave you. She passed 4 years ago at 110. Women and Mothers are supreme.”-Noah

“My mother, Mama Susan, had nurtured and empowered me to be the woman whom I am today. I am so grateful.” – Arlene

“I am inspired by my mom. She is my best friend and she is a hard worker. I’m inspired by her as she never says she is tired, and she keeps going all day every day. I admire her sacrifices, and how hard she works for her family. I love you mom.”- Disha

“My mother because she is my rock and has always supported me through the good times and the bad.” – Jessica

“Vanessa, one of Thornbury’s registered senior mental health nurses. She is professional, extremely pleasant, a team player, provides quality care and a colleague who gives a great handover. She is meticulous and a credit to the vocation.”- Caroline

“A woman who has inspired me and continues to inspire me is my best friend Angela Mairo. She is phenomenal, has a big heart and she would give the clothes on her back to someone more needy than her. She has had some challenges in her life. She has lost close family and friends. She is a carer to her own children, a mother to orphans all whilst facing some health challenges, but she is still standing. She is a hard worker and kind! Once you meet her, your life will never be the same! Angie, my friend and sister, I’m lucky to have you not just as a friend but as part of my family too.”- Nokuthula

“My beautiful wife inspires me. She is a special woman in my life who always inspired me to continue working hard. A woman who always makes sure I have delicious food for work. A woman who has changed my way of life. I don’t know how much more I can appreciate this beautiful woman with a beautiful soul. I love and cherish you Mrs.”-Samuel

“Nurse Constance Foroma inspires me. She is an amazing nurse, a professional and a people’s person. She is very good with clients and the team she works with on the day. A joy to work with.”- Constance

“My mum inspires me, she is my world. A Nurse by profession. My mum had eight children and she lost her husband, my dad, at the age of 36 when she was pregnant with the 8th child. She single-handedly raised all of us to have a very bright future. Sadly, we lost mum. Mum taught us to always focus on being successful and be positive. Mum we miss you every day.”- Kemi

“My mother inspires me because of all the work and sacrifice she made being a single mum to 6 children. My mum worked as a house maid whilst she had 2 kids, unfortunately that job ended. My mum never gave up, because her only wish was to make sure we went to school. Being the eldest child, I saw my mom go through difficulty times, but she never gave up.During Christmas, presents were different. Our Christmas presents were to have a new outfit for the day, and no matter how hard or difficult times were for her, my mom made sure we did.”- Samantha

“My wife, she’s not in the nursing profession. But no matter what I have been through, in our very difficult sometimes harrowing job, she is there for me, being my constant.” -Leigh

“My mother inspires me. Even though she is suffering a lot physically, she never fails to keep a smile on her kids faces and ensure they are happy, looked after and spoilt.” – Mehvish

“My Mother has been an inspiration to me. She has a kind heart and she has devoted her life to helping the needy in the community. She gave them food and clothing, and always had time to lend a helping hand. She inspired me to be a philanthropist and I have set up a charity in her name.”- Thamsanqa

“My grandmother was an RGN who studied as a single mum in the 60s in Newcastle General Hospital. Her mum was a community midwife. She has been a huge role model. She used to work in the burns unit before relocating with her husband and their young family. She worked on the kidney unit and then in A&E at the Royal Berkshire Hospital. Even at retirement, she continued to work as part of the Blood Service. She was loved by so many patients and colleagues throughout her working life. Before relocating to Devon, she worked in the hospital shop, volunteered with the local blind group and as a befriender to many in the local community. I followed in her footsteps training at University of Salford as a registered nurse. My graduation was one of her proudest moments and we later found out after her recent death, my graduation was the same day as her registration date. I’m extremely proud to have been able to share that moment with her and to carry on the nursing legacy in my family!”- Rose

“My mum Joan inspires me. She raised three children on her own without any help. She was a beautiful person. She has looked after her grandchildren and great-grandchildren and helped me to raise my own children. My siblings and my children have grown up to be loving and caring people that think of others before themselves. This is a tribute to our hard-working kind mum. She never has anything bad to say about anyone. She has only recently stopped volunteering at her local centre. My Mum inspires us all greatly.”- Dawn

“My sister Catherine inspires me. She is a hard-worker, focused and willing to help others.” – Cordellia

“My mother inspires me. She is a loving and caring person. Thank you, mother. I love you”- Sithandiwe

“My mother, she is my friend, my sister, my buddy and my quarrel partner at times and my venting place. She is a true inspiration to me.”- Mary

“My mother inspires me. She is a very dedicated, reliable and hardworking lady. She raised six children on her own. She worked extra hard to put us all through university in Africa and in the UK. Words can never express how great my mother is. We all celebrate her daily. Even at 73 she is still able and strong. Her advice has been second to none. I appreciate my mother for everything that I have become today.”- Ibrahim

“The female who inspired me is my late wife Sarah. She got diagnosed with cancer in 2017 and she went through 18 rounds of chemotherapy and 2 bone marrow transplants in January 2020. She applied to become a nurse even with her condition and she fought hard to start, but sadly in November, she lost her battle and passed away at home. Before she passed, she successfully got onto a nursing course and so she passed away a student nurse.”- Jamie