Nurses: Everyday Heroes

Nurses are everyday heroes, working tirelessly to bring care and connection to patients. As the trusted professionals we look to during our most vulnerable times, nurses bring compassion to patient bedsides. They are leaders, advancing nursing practice and care delivery across the healthcare system, and are essential to safe and effective patient care.

This year, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared 2020 the Year of the Nurse and Midwife in honor of the 200th anniversary of the birth of Florence Nightingale, a trailblazing figure who set the first standards in nursing. In May, the country also celebrated Nurses Week, which was particularly meaningful as nurses rose to the challenge during the global coronavirus pandemic. And, throughout the year, we saw nurses make sacrifices on the front lines to protect and care for others.

Our campus community recognizes the leadership role nurses play in healthcare, and we have been fortunate to benefit from philanthropic support that honors their significant contributions. This year, patients paid it forward with their gifts, demonstrating tremendous gratitude for nurses and the care they provide. During the week of Giving Tuesday in May, patients joined us to collectively honor nurses for their tireless service.

Following the Front Lines

As we reflect on the year, we remember closely following the journey of CU nurses and students as they navigated the challenges of work and study during the global coronavirus crisis. In many ways, we saw CU nurses rise to the challenge to serve patients and communities through it all. And, we supported our nursing students as they celebrated commencement in innovative ways. With great pride, we read stories about our alumni, who have gone on to devote their time and talents to the betterment of the community. We also witnessed an outpouring of support from far and wide, as individuals and communities joined us in honoring nurses. This year, we learned a great deal about nursing and those who pursue this courageous and compassionate work. We were left with one very important lesson — nurses are truly everyday heroes.

Philanthropy helps ensure that nurses are there when we need them, and that they are supported in their education and careers. The impact of philanthropy in nursing is perhaps best told through the unique stories of our benefactors – from their personal struggles to their motivations for giving.

Giving Back to CU Nursing

Chiyoko Furukawa, PhD, MS, RN, an alumna of the CU College of Nursing, decided to make a difference in the world by giving back after retiring from her nursing career. In her youth, Chiyoko faced incredible challenges, beginning when her family left the west coast for Utah to avoid being placed in a Japanese internment camp amidst xenophobic unrest during WWII. Her father, however, was separated from the family and moved to a camp. Nevertheless, as she overcame the circumstances that arose in her life, she kept sight of her vision to pursue a nursing degree. Chiyoko earned her bachelor’s degree in nursing at CU in the early 1960s, and went on to earn her master’s degree and teach graduate and undergraduate nursing students. During her time of practice she noticed a need for detailed training on how to care for geriatric patients, and developed a curriculum to address this gap.

Chiyoko Furukawa, PhD, MS, RN, right, pictured with a scholarship recipient. Chiyoko’s giving is motivated by her gratitude for her CU education and her desire to pay her success forward

With more than five decades of nursing experience, Chiyoko demonstrated a profound dedication to her life’s work and a commitment to advancing the careers of nursing students. Motivated by her gratitude for a CU education and a desire to pay her success forward, Chiyoko continues to guide aspiring nurses into their careers through the Chiyoko Furukawa, PhD, Scholarship Fund at CU Nursing.

Patient Leaves Behind Legacy

The feeling of gratitude that inspires philanthropy often stems from the lasting impression nurses impart upon patients. David “Scott” Ferguson was one such patient. He was so touched by the care he received that he left behind a memorial fund in his name supporting scholarships for nursing students. At 49 years old, Scott died in April 2019 from melanoma. His wife said Scott’s goal was to ensure that patients like him experienced the comfort of compassionate care he received. He also wanted to help people like Brian Dorset, certified nurse assistant (CNA), who cared for him throughout his cancer treatment.

Brian forged a special bond with Scott. At age 15, Brian suffered a massive brain hemorrhage that resulted in chronic seizures, and he was not expected to live. Brian told Scott that he had been influenced by the nurses who cared for him to pursue a nursing career, inspiring the scholarship idea. Scott’s scholarship will ensure that patients will be able to experience the humanity often provided by nursing professionals like Brian in difficult medical situations.

Top left: Scott Ferguson, 49, loved the mountains and the outdoors Bottom left: CU Nursing alumna Margo Schenk; Scott’s wife, Darice Henritze; and Brian Dorsett, CNA Right: Scott with nursing staff

Philanthropy is essential to CU Nursing’s success as an institution and helps bolster our leadership at the forefront of nursing education and training. These valuable resources also help us provide integrated behavioral and primary care to CU Anschutz students, faculty and staff at the campus health center, and offer comprehensive midwifery care for mothers throughout pregnancy, birth and parenthood. Philanthropy allows us to broaden our expertise, from expanding our military nursing program and focusing on a deeper understanding of veterans, to transforming our curriculum so students better understand mental health issues. Together, we are doing all that we can to maintain and elevate the standards of the nursing profession.

At CU Anschutz, we are proud of our long history and rich tradition of pioneering nursing education, beginning with launching the first nurse practitioner program in 1965. Today, our campus is the ideal place to shape the future of the nursing profession with two nationally ranked hospitals that treat more than 2 million adult and pediatric patients each year. We are committed to delivering the very best care, as evidenced by patient outcomes at UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital, which has received its 5th prestigious Magnet designation for nursing. Also of note, before the decade ended, CU Nursing celebrated 120 years of excellence in nursing care, research and education.

CU nurses set the standards of care and will define what the patient experience looks like tomorrow, with the support of generous benefactors who believe in their work. Nurses are the through-line and the heart of a patient’s care journey. As the world calls for more nurses, we take pride in knowing that CU nurses are everyday heroes who make a difference.

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