This summer was different than my previous summer, but the two would not have been as meaningful apart as they were together. In my first summer, I was researching confusing abortion policy language and interviewing frontline workers. This summer I was a frontline worker. Without my background information anchoring me in the work, I would not have been able to approach it with the humility and understanding that I was able to. And without this summer, I would not have been able to ground the work I did last summer. They truly go together. 

The thing that changed the most form the beginning to the end was definitely my level of squeamishness in a medical setting. I have never thought of myself as squeamish- but apparently I am! Though I never saw any procedures, I still found myself feeling woozy on the first few days (okay maybe weeks), but by the end, this was not a problem! Woo hoo! Additionally, I had hoped to start work in June, but I ended up beginning in July, which was not my intention and made me feel a little off kilter when I started, but as soon as I found a rhythm the change made little difference.

I have learned a great deal about the medical field and about the backbone of this system, nurses and medical assistants. There is one doctor at the clinic I work at, every other person administering medication, monitoring patients, taking charts, calling interpreters, cleaning beds, getting snacks, getting new bedding, and anything else that happens in post-op care is done by a nurse or a medical assistant. They work tirelessly and often thanklessly. They are truly heroes. They have taught me that leadership does not always mean having the “shiny” job, it doesn’t mean getting credit (especially when its deserved), but it means doing the work and doing it as best you can. This is what leadership is. This is what bravery is. This is the standard. I thought that I knew all of this, but this truly cemented it for me. 

I think that my main takeaway from this will be to understand that everyone is coming into a job/classroom/coffee shop/etc with something. Everyone has something hard that happened today or yesterday. Everything has something good too. I want to enter this next year with more patience and grace. You truly don’t know what someone is going through. 

Thank you to everyone doing this work, fighting in the small ways, in the hard ways, to make sure people still have access to lifesaving care. I am standing with you.

If you are able, please check out these resources: 

https://abortionfunds.org/

https://wrrap.org/assistance-services/find-abortion-funds/

https://brigidalliance.org/