Day -506 — Daily Haibun Journey — Goldie D. Brangman
Nurses are an often overlooked, underpaid important part of our society. Goldie Brangman was a remarkable nurse who despite being barred from many medical schools because she was black, went on no establish her own school of anesthesiology. She was the nurse operating the breathing bag during surgery on Dr. Martin Luther King when he was stabbed with a letter opene. She served 45 year more at the Harlem Hospital after helping to save King’s life. She authored several nursing papers and coauthored a book on drug abuse and one which focused on black nursing in the 50’s and 60’s.. She was the first African American to serve in any leadership role in the Nurses Association. She served as president of the AANA for a year. She remained a devoted activist in the nurse anesthesia profession. At “retirement” in 1985, she switched to full time volunteer work for the American Red Cross. She was still volunteering at the age of 99. Goldie brings passed last February at the age of 100.
