S-Z

Schrempp, Lori: Died June 21, 2002 in Omaha, Nebraska/USA. Her med flight helicopter crashed at the airport in Norfolk during an emergency landing attempt after the pilot requested assistance for a mechanical problem discovered upon leaving their Norfolk base hospital. They were enroute to pick up an injured child for transport. Lori had been a nurse for 24 years and had worked the past two years as a flight nurse in addition to her hospital employment. Her husband reflected that "She wanted so badly to be a flight nurse... she died doing what she loved. She didn't shy away from anything." Lori, 41, was from Yankton, South Dakota/USA and is survived by her husband of 22 years and two sons. [Ent. 6/24/02] (Ref: http://www.norfolkdailynews.com http://www.newsdirectory.com/go/?f=&r=sd&u=www.pressanddakotan.com

Shelton, Leroy C.: Died April 3, 1999 when a Flight for Life helicopter crashed as it returned to its rural base after dropping off a patient in Las Vegas, Nevada/USA. Leroy had just joined the flight team two weeks earlier. Leroy was born in Dodge City, KS, was 37, and is survived by his wife. He was described by the Chief Flight Nurse as someone who wanted nothing more than to be a nurse responding to emergencies in helicopters. [Ent. 5/99] (Further details may be found at http://www.lvrj.com in archives' search.) [See also Batterman, K.L.]

Sigman, Sandy: Died July 9, 1994. Sandy was the flight nurse on a rescue helicopter out of Frisco, Colorado/USA. The unit was attempting to pick up a hiker with a broken ankle at the 12,500 foot level of a mountain when apparently the helicopter's blades hit the slope. Sandy was 43 years old. [Ent.8/99] (Source: http://naemt.org/nemsms)

Stone, Lauren, E.: Died March 10,2000 twenty-five miles north of Dalhart, Texas//USA in the crash of a med flight helicopter. The flight crew was transporting an infant to their home base hospital in Amarillo, Texas. Lauren, 30, had worked as an ER nurse for 7 years as well as a flight nurse for 3 1/2 years. She was also part of a volunteer fire department in the area. Her twin sister described her as a friend to everyone who made no one feel like a stranger. If she couldn't do her best, she didn't even waste her time. Lauren is survived by her three sons. [Ent. 3/00] (Source: http://www.amarillonet.com )

Suzuki, Lois: Died Sept. 29,2005 when the Airlift Northwest emergency medical services helicopter she was working aboard crashed into Puget Sound off of Edmonds, Washington/USA. Lois, 47, was described by a coworker as having "a nine-foot smile on a four-foot frame," and "a laugh teenagers would pay a fortune to achieve." As a pediatric nurse, she had traveled all over the world training nurses and working in many of the nation's major pediatric medical centers. She lived in Seattle and is survived by her mother and two brothers. [Ent. 2/06] (Source: http://tinyurl.com/mox7b)

Tessnear, Glenda. Died: July 13,2004 in Jalapa, South Carolina/USA when her med flight helicopter crashed immediately after takeoff after picking up their patient found injured on a highway; there were no survivors. The med flight had been called out of Spartanburg when fog prevented one coming from elsewhere. Glenda, 42, had worked at the Regional Med Center for 18 years as a neonatal intensive care nurse, including 5 years as a neonatal flight nurse. Many families of infants she had worked with came to the hospital when they heard the news, to share their sympathies for the nurse that always wanted to work with the smallest and sickest of infants. Glenda had recently began expanding her nursing role into adult care. She and her daughter lived in Bostic, NC and both had also recently begun pilot training. [Ent. 7/14/04. Source: The Herald Journal: http://www.goupstate.com/apps/pbcs.dll/frontpage ]

Torrente, Vivian: Died December 3.1999 in Monte Carlo, Monaco. Vivian, age 47, was an U.S. nurse who was part of a "medical team" employed by an international banking mogul who suffered from Parkinsonism. Another U.S. nurse reportedly feigned an intrusion of the residence, alledgedly to appear as a hero in protecting the banker's life to improve his role as part of the team. As part of the plot, he set a small fire that got out of hand and resulted in the smoke inhalation deaths of Vivian and the banker who were locked in a bathroom used as a refuge from the intruders. [Ent. 12/99]
(Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/business/daily/dec99/safra06.htm)

Van Vechten, Sherry: Died in 1982 when a flight helicopter from Modesto, California/USA hit power lines and crashed while flying to a vehicular accident in Strawberry, CA. Sherry, 33, was a flight and ER nurse. [Ent. 6/00] (Source: Wendy Smith, private communications.)

Vineyard, Elisa: Died January 8,2002 while getting out of her car to make a hospice home visit in Redding, California/USA when her car was sideswipped. Elisa, 41, had worked in hospitals and rehab in Northern California for the past thirteen years. A hospital administrator where she worked noted that "She was a wonderful person � a sensitive, caring, compassionate nurse." She lived in Shasta Lake where she is survived by her husband and three children. [Ent. 1/02] (Source: private email and http://www.redding.com/news/past/20020110lo003.shtml)

Wittry, Melissa: Died August 20, 1998 in a transport helicopter crash near Sioux Valley, Minnesota/USA. Missy, 36, was a nurse for 14 years, worked in critical intensive care and emergency departments, and became a flight nurse in 1996. The Chief Flight Nurse noted, "She had such wonderful nursing skills and people skills. She could make people feel so much at ease. We were really pleased to have her as part of our team". Missy is survived by her husband. [Ent. 8/99. (Source: http://naemt.org/nemsms)

Womble, Laura.: Died October 24,2004. Laura was part of a Med Flight crew of five that lost their lives in a crash of their Lear transport jet minutes after takeoff from a private airport outside of San Diego, California/USA.The crew, which provides care for long distance transport, had just dropped off a cruise ship passenger from Mexico and was returning to its home base in Albuquerque, NM; it was the company's first crash in its 25 year history. Laura's husband Don, a paramedic, also died, as well as a paramedic from El Paso, TX. In addition to her flight work, Laura, 47, was an ER nurse at Presbyterian Kaseman Hospital. The couple, who lived in Edgewood,NM, had been married for two years, having brought together a family of five children. [Entered 10/04. Source: http://www.abqtrib.com/archives/news04/102504_news_aircrash.shtml ]

Woods, Karen. Died: May 9,2006 when the ambulance she was providing patient care in, clipped a semitrailer truck as it was moving into the left lane to pass on Interstate 76 near Sterling, CO/USA. Karen, 43, had been a nurse for 10 years at the Medical Center of Aurora, CO and worked part time as the head nurse for Rural Metro ground CCT, transferring patients in critical care from one hospital to another. She had been nominated in 2004 for the Florence Nightingale Award in nursing. She is survived by her husband and 5 year old daughter. [Entered: 1/07 by her friend Rhonda.] Source: http://tinyurl.com/y7aymb

Yap, Ebidorah: Died June 7, 2002 in a jungle in Zamboanga del Norte, the Philippines during an attempted rescue of hostages held by Muslim terrorists with reputed links to Osama bin Laden. On June 2, 2001, the terrorists raided a hospital where she was working and took several staff and medical supplies in order to provide care during their guerilla activities. Colleagues who had been released earlier noted that Ebidorah chose - as being the Senior Nurse - to remain to care for those that were not released including an American missionary couple, the husband of which was also killed during the rescue. It was not immediately clear whether Ebidorah or the missionary were shot by the terrorists or were caught in crossfire during the two hour battle in heavy rains. Ebidorah was 48 and survived by her four children. [The Philippine Nurses Assoc. of America advised the VNM on 6/30/02 that a scholarship, in Ebidorah's name, had been sent to her nursing school.] [Ent. 6/8/02] (Ref: http://www.inq7.net; http://www.newsdirectory.com/go/?f=&r=as&u=www.philstar.com
http://www.newsdirectory.com/go/?f=&r=as&u=www.manilatimes.net)

Zellers, Sheila: Died June 14, 1999 when a University of Kentucky Medical Center transport helicopter crashed while returning to its base in Lexington, Kentucky/USA. Sheila had become a flight nurse in 1991. The crew supervisor described her as a smiling, lovely person who was not only dedicated to her family but to any patient she came in contact with. Sheila, 43, had been a RN for 20 years and is survived by her husband and four sons living in Elizabethtown. [Ent. 6/99] (Further details may be found at http://www.hultgren.org/news/Index.htm )

   12 Unknown Nurses in Uganda: Died: the last months of 2000.12 nurses died in Gulu, Uganda while struggling with an outbreak of Ebola that began in early October, 2000 and which was declared over by the World Health Organization at the end of February, 2001. The nurses were among 224 people who died of the disease which has an unknown cure.
     In lay terms, Ebola is described as a horrific disease [causing death in 50-90% of all clinically ill cases] in which flu-like symptoms quickly give way to internal bleeding, which becomes so severe that victims eventually bleed from every body opening. Sometimes blood blisters up through the skin. During the final stages, and shortly after death, the victim is most contagious, infection being spread by contact with bodily fluids.
     Some reports note that a lack of protective gear/clothing initially and mistakes due to exhaustion from working long hours were high risk factors in the nurses' infection. Sadly away from the job, healthcare workers faced discrimination as fears developed that they were in fact spreading the disease. Several sources are being pursued to get the names of these nurses. [Ent. 5/02] (Ref.: Several including http://www.alethiaprod.com/ebola)

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