Real-Life Heroines: Caring for Family

Our heroine this time wasn’t born in the nineteenth century, but her efforts and attitude have recently inspired me, and I thought they might inspire you too. Because she is still alive, I couldn’t find a picture that wasn’t proprietary, but you can find the painting that made me want to learn more about Joanna Boatman here (scroll down and click to read thoughts from the artist). 

Joanna’s family arrived in the United States in the late 1800s and settled around the turn of the century in Kalama, Washington. She still lives in the house in which she and her mother were born. She attended school in Kalama, graduating from Kalama High School, then went on to graduate from Emanuel Hospital School of Nursing in Portland, Oregon.

Joanna is an incredibly industrious woman. She started working at age 12 at a downtown soda fountain. She was a member of the County Civil Defense Team in World War II, keeping watch for enemy plans. Shortly before she graduated nursing school, she complained about some civic work on her street, and her brother-in-law challenged her do so something about it. She ran for City Council and won. Then she ran for mayor and won, at age 28. She was the second woman in Washington history to serve as a mayor. She was re-elected, serving a total of 5 years. She also served as chair for the Cowlitz County Planning Council.

As a nurse, Joanna worked at Cowltiz General Hospital in Longview, about 11 miles to the north, for 18 years. But caring for the sick all day wasn’t enough for her. She’d return home and care for those in the area who were ill, as many as 30 hours a week. She provided hospice care, dealt with prescriptions, cared for wounds, and offered a respite for those with sick children. They still talk about the Columbus Day Storm of 1962 in our area (see example of damage right). Joanna helped her neighbors afterward to such an extent that the Washington State Patrol gave her an award.

She moved to Seattle and worked at Virginia Mason for more than 30 years. There she joined the Washington State Nurses Association. She would go on to serve as its president, the first staff nurse to do so. Not content to govern from Seattle, she drove all over Washington to listen to the concerns of her sister nurses. Those nurses reciprocated her respect by voting to change the bylaws so she could serve a second term as President. She also served as delegate to the American Nursing Association convention and delegate to the National Council of State Boards of Nursing. She was appointed to the Washington State Nursing Care Quality Assurance Commission and, you probably guessed it, was elected Chair of that commission, two things no staff nurse had ever done before. She also served as president of the Seattle Chapter of Operating Room Nurses. She was such an advocate for nurses that she served as picket captain when the nurses went on strike at Virginia Mason in 1976. She was inducted into the Washington State Nurses Association Hall of Fame in 2000.

I’ve seen multiple dates for when Joanna was born. Near as I can figure, she’s now in her late 80s or early 90s. And she hasn’t slowed down one wit. She still serves as Commissioner on the board for the local cemetery. She recently told a reporter that she considers it “caring for family.”

We should all be so fortunate as to have a woman like Joanna in the family.

The Family Nurse

When you were young and had the sniffles, who did you first turn to for help?  Most likely it was a trusted family member and probably your mother.  That hasn’t changed a lot since the early nineteenth century, in England or America.  The heroine in my current work in progress is a nurse, still somewhat a rarity in 1866 New England, so I’ve been researching medical knowledge and how she might have treated various illnesses.  My wonderful critique partner recently took me to the Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Museum, where I found a very interesting book.

The Family Nurse by Mrs. Lydia Child is a compendium of advice for mothers who are tending to ill family members.  Originally published in Boston in 1837, it followed Mrs. Child’s very successful publication of The American Frugal Housewife, a tome devoted to helping middle and lower class women manage homes.  I was delighted to learn that Mrs. Child was an advocate for the rights of women and Native Americans, and she was a staunch abolitionist even though it made her a social outcast for a time.  She also wrote the first historical novel with a woman protagonist in New England.  In fact, Mrs. Child is so fascinating, I plan to devote another post soon on her.

Here is some of Mrs. Child’s advice from The Family Nurse:

“Never meddle with medications, unless some disorder of the system renders them really necessary.” 

“The first and most important duty of the nurse is to follow scrupulously and exactly the directions of the physician.”

“Do everything as quietly as possible. Step lightly and gently; avoid creaking shoes, rustling garments, and banging doors.”

The book has a lengthy section on dealing with childhood illnesses as well as a wonderful compendium of various herbs and food stuffs that can be used to soothe.  Some sound a trifle alarming, like Irish moss blanc-mange and calf’s foot jelly.  Others sound like a child’s dream come true, such as using black currant jelly to ease a sore throat or lemonade to comfort a fever.

I remember my mother let us drink 7-Up when we had upset stomachs; it contained bicarbonate of soda so it could actually help.  My husband swears by honey for a sore throat.  Any favorite healing treats in your family?