Serving as a dialysis nurse in TCI for 12 years
Introduction
The month of March is known as Kidney National Month. This article is therefore a tribute to one of the dialysis nurses, Mrs. Bernardita Purugganan (also known as Mama D). Mama D started working in the Turks and Caicos from March 5, 2012, to March 5, 2024, when she retired from the nursing field. I met Mama D on December 26, 2016, when I started dialysis. I appreciate mama D so much not only because of her contribution as a nurse but she is one of my greatest supporters of my weekly writings and my two books.
Who is Mama D?
Bernardita Purugganan (also known as Mama D) was born in the Philippines on July 5th, 1954, which means she is 69 years old. This also meant that she had passed the retirement age of 65 but of course she felt that she had a lot more to contribute and so she continued to work.
Mama D has been working as a nurse since the age of 21 when she graduated from nursing school in the Phillipines. After working for four years in her country, she migrated to Saudi Arabia where she worked there until 2012 before coming to the Turks and Caicos. So, you see, Mama D spent most of her career in Saudi Arabia. In fact, she constantly reminds the dialysis patients and nurses of her 33 years in Saudi Arabia and when there was an issue at the dialysis unit, she would say it was not like that in Saudia Arabia.
Mama D is married and has two children, a son, and a daughter and four grandsons and one granddaughter. Mama D ended up in the Turks and Caicos because her daughter Stephanie and her son in law Eddie were nurses at Cheshire Hall Medical Center.
Mama D is a woman of God and her relationship with God strengthened while she was in the Turks and Caicos. She was a member of one of the Philippine Churches and made sure invited people to church. I visited her church on two occasions. She was also involved in regular Christmas Caroling. Her and church colleagues drove all the way to Chalk Sound to sing Christmas Carols at our home.
Mama D is full of energy and walks very fast. She likes to dance and sing. She is also a very kind person. Each time we go to dialysis, Mama D would provide us with snacks. She would also give me that special Spanish Bread for my children, something they love very much.
Mama D also encouraged me so much. If there is one person that liked or commented on my writings, it would be Mama D. She bought several of my books and gave them as gifts to her friends. She is indeed my biggest fan.
Finally, Mama D was a great nurse. She made sure she took care of her patients. She was very alert and dedicated to the nursing field.
Conclusion
Thank you, Mama D, for coming to the Turks and Caicos. I am so glad our paths crossed. Because of Mama D and the other nurses, I have learned to appreciate people from different countries. There is a lot of negativities about “foreigners,” but we depend on these nurses and there is not one Turks and Caicos Islander who is a dialysis nurse.
With that said, I want to wish everyone a Happy National Kidney Day and I encourage individuals to do a medical check frequently so that you do not end up on dialysis. However, if you do end up on dialysis, you will be in the hands of some excellent nurses.