The Story of Digna

By Karla Larson, RN, MSN
Missionary Nurse and Adjunct Professor of Transcultural Nursing at Crown College

Digna is 34 years old.  Four years ago she was working in a nice job as an Executive Assistant to a wealthy businessman in the city.  Her brother was this man’s chauffeur.  After work one day it was raining and her brother asked if he could give her a ride home, less than two blocks away.  She said yes and that decision changed her life forever.  Within minutes gunmen filled the car with bullets, killing her brother and making her a T-10 paraplegic.  The target of their bullets, her boss, was not in the car.   

Digna spent over a year in the hospital and developed complications from her immobility.  Eventually, her 62 yr old mother, Doña Albertina, took Digna to a home far into the jungle to care for her.  Dona, in poor health herself, took on all the responsibilities of daily care for Digna.  She got up every 2 hours at night to reposition Digna, handled all of the physical lifting and much more.  Digna lived totally dependent on her aging mother. 

Someone at the hospital where I served knew of Digna’s situation and also of her financial skills.  We had a need for someone with her accounting skill set at the hospital.  Could this be a workable partnership?  I set off to find her, driving through two rivers to get to her village.  When I first met her and her mom, I explained our need for someone to do our accounting and told them I could, in turn, care for her nursing needs (ostomy, catheter, transfers, ulcers, etc.), as well as pick her up and bring her home again everyday.  Eventually, they agreed to “try it” for a week.  Long story short, Digna now lives independently at the hospital in the nurses dorm, transfers herself, cooks for herself, bathes herself, everything.  She works as the supervisor in the cashier’s office. 

Digna gets stares and gawks of incredulity as she wheels around the hospital in front of the patients.  I asked why this was and was told “no one who is handicapped finds work in Honduras; they all become beggars because no one will employ them.”  In sub-plot to the story, Digna was also snatched from the clutches of her old neighbors, Jehovah’s Witnesses, which she had entertained as an option for her religion.  She now knows the truth about Jesus Christ, lives as a Christian, and lives and works independently.  Digna recently told me that when I first came to her house, she thought I was “crazy” talking about teaching her how to live independently – but she now has a life she never thought possible:  living on her own.