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www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Wednesday, March 6, 2013 | 8 Oakville nurse helps brings free healthcare to West Africa by John Bkila Oakville Beaver Staff For 68-year-old Nancy O'Neil Eichenberg, retirement is not in her future -- at least not yet. The Oakville resident and registered nurse recently returned from her second mission with Africa Mercy where she helped deliver free healthcare in Guinea in West Africa. "I do plan to retire in the near future, but how near has not yet been decided," O'Neil Eichenberg said. Africa Mercy is part of Mercy Ships (www.mercyships.ca), an international Christian charity that has operated hospital ships in developing countries since 1978. "This job gives me the opportunity to do what has been a very important part of my life for many years -- to care for the sick," said O'Neil Eichenberg. "I had the opportunity to work with people from many countries and many cultures who were there for one main purpose, to care for the less fortunate and rejected, and help restore people's dignity." As a cardiac operating room nurse at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto, O'Neil Eichenberg has been a registered nurse since 1966. Her husband Jim worked with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and as such moved around quite a bit -- as a result, O'Neil Eichenberg has worked in several hospitals in Manitoba, including Thompson, Dauphin and Winnipeg, and Newfoundland. Wanting to become a nurse since she was a child, O'Neil Eichenberg says nursing has been a very important and enjoyable part of her life. "As I completed my education and considered the various options, I realized that this truly was what I wanted to do with my life," she said. "I guess I inherited some good genes from my mother and have been blessed with good health and much energy." O'Neil Eichenberg spends her vacation time from nursing volunteering aboard the Africa Mercy ship where she works as an RN assisting in surgical cases and giving patient care. She has volunteered in Sierra Leone and Guatemala, in addition to Guinea, where she stayed from Oct. 13-Nov. 3, 2012 -- the Africa Mercy is currently docked in Conakry, Guinea until June 2. Since proper healthcare is not something that comes easy in West Africa, O'Neil Eichenberg says Registered nurse Nancy O'Neil Eichenberg with some of her patients during her mission with Africa Mercy in Guinea in West Africa. Africa Mercy is part of Mercy Ships, an international Christian Charity that has operated hospital ships in developing countries since 1978. O'Neil Eichenberg was in Guinea, assisting with surgical cases and patient care, from Oct. 13-Nov. 3, 2012 -- this was her second mission with the Africa Mercy ship. | Submitted photo the care the Africa Mercy ship offers is invaluable to the locals. "It opened my eyes as to how fortunate I am to be healthy," she said. "It also reinforced my knowledge that I have a big responsibility to use my years of training and experience as a nurse to help those who have little or no healthcare." While this was O'Neil Eichenberg's second mission with the health organization, she says volunteering with Mercy Ships has motivated her to do more with her life and she will continue to volunteer as long as she can. But it wasn't until her four sons were educated and began their own lives that she began to volunteer and help keep people healthy interna- see Patients on p.11 www.oakville.ca 1 2 TH A N N U A L Nominate a Community Champion Today! We're looking for Oakville's shining stars, who through their volunteer efforts alone are putting us one step closer to achieving our vision of becoming the most livable town in Canada. We all have family, friends and colleagues who spend countless hours volunteering and supporting the many facets of our diverse community. What better way to acknowledge their contribution than to nominate them for an Oakville Community Spirit Award? Nominations will be accepted in the following categories: sponsored by MEDIchair Halton sponsored by The Oakville Beaver sponsored by Tim Hortons sponsored by Sun Life Financial sponsored by Genworth Financial Canada , sponsored by Paradiso Restaurant sponsored by Chartwell Oakville sponsored by RBC Royal Bank Nomination forms are available for pick-up at all town facilities and libraries or online at www.oakville.ca Nomination deadline is Monday, April 15, 2013 at 4 p.m. For more information call 905-845-6601, ext. 3976 or email csa@oakville.ca