After 50 plus years of nursing, Donna Wright, RN in the Mother/Baby Unit at St. Luke’s Wood River (SLWR) has retired. In 1992, Wright stepped off a Qantas flight from her Australian homeland and started working at the Moritz Hospital in Sun Valley. Wright reflects on her plan to stay of a year or so, “I had balanced my nursing life with years of skiing and travel. This was absolutely perfect! The place and especially the people, were so warm and wonderful, it felt like home.” So, she stayed. She has been at St. Luke’s Wood River ever since it opened in 2000, working in the Mother/Baby Unit.
Wright said she decided to become a nurse when a Red Cross nurse visited her school in Australia when she was 5 years old. “ I saw the crisp white uniform, red wool cape, and a starched veil…I was hooked! She was the ‘Superhero’ of my day,” she explained. At 17, Wright moved into the Nurse’s home which was an annex of the hospital to begin learning. She recalls, “We were expected to ‘live in’ for the first three years. Fast friendships and a strong sense of camaraderie were formed. 50 years on, our friendships endure to this day. Our training was ‘general’ …in that, we were exposed and worked in every discipline. Wherever rostered, that is where you spent the next few months.”
Wright’s career has been filled with memorable moments, ranging from joyful to tragic and everything in between. She feels one of the most rewarding things about being a labor and delivery nurse is helping families grow. “The raw and real connection to people of all walks can be challenging… But, what a privilege,” she said.
Wright is grateful for the opportunity to have served the Wood River Valley for so many years. “To my colleagues and families, I have met over the years, I am so grateful you have allowed me to be part of it all…So many emotions…a sense of belonging…joy and laughter,” she said. “Many of the families we have shared experiences with, are still here in this community…Happy and growing…One of our fantastic young nurses working here was one of ‘our’ babies!”
Her colleagues have bittersweet emotions about her retirement, while being happy for her, they will miss her terribly. “Working with Donna – since 2001 – has been one of the high points of my career. In all that time, I have only witnessed kindness, grace, and compassion – given in abundance and without constraint to her patients, her patient’s families, and her co-workers. Donna is a brilliant light in the world of nursing.” Karen Stevens PhD, RN – Asst. Nurse Manager SLWR
“The first day Donna and I met, was the first day I entered into the world at the Sun Valley Moritz Hospital! Now fast forward 26 years later – we reunited as nurses and co-workers on the Mother/Baby Unit. Donna is a bright light wherever she goes, especially when she is in her nursing element. What an honor and privilege it has been to work with and learn from her. I want to be just like her when I grow up!”-Jasmine Schofield, RN, Mother/Baby Unit, SLWR
To anyone considering nursing as a career, Wright says, “Grab the opportunity with both hands! The payback is beyond monetary…There is freedom and independence, the opportunity to travel, but more than anything else, to be able to engage meaningfully in peoples’ lives. A true wealth of humanity.”
Wright is known for her baking, getting up early, really early, every morning and bake bread and pastries which she brought to her colleagues and patients at the hospital. She explains the motivation, “I grew up at my grandmother’s hip in her tiny kitchen. My family were immigrants to Australia and her remedy for homesickness was to bake and feed friends, family. She baked every day, so we awoke to the smell of yeast buns and rolls. Often her table was surrounded by young sailors from ‘home’. “ Wright has saved this quote… ‘I believe baking is the best way for me to express love for my people in the present and honor the people of my past…all in one batch!”
As for what’s next for Wright, she says she’s going to sleep on it. She deserves t!