Mary Secole: INTERNATIONAL NURSE ENTREPRENUR
A woman of determination, discipline, character, courage and caring.
Born in Kingston, Jamaica in 1805, Seacole dedicated her entire life to attending to others. Caring, entrepreneurship and adventure was in her blood. In 1850, at 45 years old, Mary, travelled to a gold prospecting town in Panama to visit her brother and cared single-handedly with a cholera epidemic when the American doctor fled from the scene. In 1853, she returned to Jamaica to care for victims of a yellow fever epidemic and was invited to supervise nursing services at Up-Park Camp, in Kingston. Also In 1853 war broke out in the Crimea. She knew many of the soldiers who had been posted to the Crimea and felt that she had obligation to go and provide care.
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| Mary Seacole. 1805 - 1881 |
Mary, arrived in England in October 1854 and repeatedly offered her services to those responsible for recruiting nurses to join Florence Nightingale who was based in Scutari. Although rejected on several occasions. It had been widely reported that the soldiers whom she knew so well, were living and dying in harsh conditions. Mary was determined to make her contribution.
In spite of such discrimination and prejudice, in 1855, she raised the funds to pay her passage to the Crimea and set up the British Hotel. This provided soldiers with accommodation, food, provisions and most importantly, nursing care on the frontline of the battlefield, the first woman to enter sebastopol. The Times newspaper published several letters from well wishers and explained her plight to the British people.
The first Gala was held in her honour, between 27 and 30th July 1857 at the Royal Surrey Gardens, on the banks of the River Thames in London. Over 80,000 people attend. Mary was swindled by the owners and receive very little of the funds, however, she never lost her dignity and that year published her celebrated autobiography " Wonderful Adventures of Mrs Seacole in Many Lands".
Mary Seacole died in London on the 14th May 1881, after a short illness and was buried in St Mary's Catholic cemetery, Harrow Road, Kensal Green, London NW10. Mary Seacole had received 'English, French, Russian and Turkish decorations'.
See the Health Awareness Day post.
