3 Doctors (and Nurses) Without Borders

Kosovars in a refugee camp in Macedonia wait in line for medical service.

Mary Lightfine knew the old man was dying. She washed him and gave him some fresh blankets to keep him warm. Then she found a tent where he could lie down. But there was nothing more she could do. Lightfine felt terrible for him. She said,“I kept thinking...what a horrible feeling to be dying in a refugee camp.”

Lightfine was right. It was very sad for the man to die in such grim conditions. But it would have been even worse if Lightfine had not been there to help. She was part of a group called Doctors Without Borders. On this day in 1997, she was in a refugee camp in Macedonia.She was there to help war victims from nearby Kosovo.

Doctors Without Borders began in the 1970s. It was started by French doctors. They wanted to give medical care to those who needed it most. That included people in remote parts of the world. It included those who lived through natural disasters.It also included victims of war. The doctors knew it was risky to go to some of these places. But they believed everyone should have medical care, no matter where they lived.

By the 1990s Doctors Without Borders had become a worldwide group. It had about 2,000 workers in more than 80 countries. These workers came from 45 different nations. They weren't paid for their services. They were volunteers. One of the volunteers was Mary Lightfine.

Lightfine had had a quiet childhood. She spent many of her early years on a farm in Ohio. So she knew how to feed hens and clean out barns.When she grew up,she wanted more action in her life.So she became an emergency room nurse.

For 16 years Lightfine worked in emergency rooms across the United States. By 1992 she felt ready for a change. She still wanted to help the sick and needy. But she wanted to travel more. She wanted to see other countries and learn about other ways of life.When a friend suggested Doctors Without Borders, Lightfine decided to give it a try.

It was a decision that changed her life. Over the next eight years, Lightfine worked for Doctors Without Borders in 10 different countries. She gave children vaccines in Uganda. She handed out food in Sudan.She stitched up wounds in Macedonia.

Along the way, Lightfine saw a lot of suffering. On the day she bathed the dying man, she also comforted a woman whose home had been destroyed by war.She bandaged a child who had been hurt in the fighting. “If I move fast and don't think about it, I'll be able to perform my work, ” she said.

Sometimes, though, she could barely believe what she saw. She treated one man who had been beaten by enemy soldiers. Said Lightfine, “From his waist down [he] was blue like a gym bag. He had been torturedimg class="qqreader-footnote" src="images/note.png" alt="torture v. 折磨；拷问"/> and beaten.In all the emergencies I have worked, I have never seen any person bruised that much. It was very difficult for me to imagine that someone could do that to another person.”

It was not just the physical wounds that were hard to look at. Lightfine also saw people in great emotional pain.Some had lost their homes. Others had seen family members killed. Many feared their lives would never return to normal. “Sometimes the most important thing I do is to hold their hand, ” Lightfine said.

With children, Lightfine often gave out markers. She had them draw pictures. She found that was a good way for them to express their feelings. Many drew burning houses or soldiers with guns. Some even made drawings of people being killed.

On most days Lightfine was at work by 7 A.M.. Often she did not stop until midnight. Even when she did have some free hours, she had no place to relax.Her living space was not exactly plush.

In Nicaragua, for instance, Lightfine lived in a tiny house along with several others. “It's very basic, ” she wrote at the time. “There's no stove or refrigerator, and we're eating only canned food. I'm sleeping on a mat on the floor of a windowless pantry.”

Lightfine went on to describe the heat. She wrote, “It's so hot here that even sleeping with one sheet and a fan on is uncomfortable. I don't have a thermometer,but it must be near 100 degrees.”

In Sudan things were even worse. Some of the time she lived in a pup tent. The rest of the time she slept in a mud shelter. Lightfine was the only human in the shelter. But there were plenty of rats to keep her company.

Given the hardships, it may seem surprising that Lightfine loved her job. But she did. She liked helping people. Beyond that, she found that the people she treated were always very grateful. Some were so thankful they cried. Others hugged her or gave her special blessings. Some tried to share their last bit of food with her. In Macedonia one woman threw her arms around Lightfine and kissed her. Said Lightfine, “More people have said thank you here than in 10 years of working in an emergency room back home. When people say thank you, you've made a difference. For me, that is the greatest gift.”