On Tuesday this week the world celebrated International Nursing Day. Queen Sonja was actually set to attend a seminar in Oslo on May 12, on the 200th anniversary of the birth of Florence Nightingale. Nightingale is considered the founder of modern nursing. The coronavirus situation made the large gathering impossible. Instead Her Majesty sent a digital greeting to the nurses of Norway.
Her Majesty said: “In this digital way, I want to reach out to each of you with a small greeting. We have during this time been vigorously reminded of how important you nurses are to all of us. I asked myself, what is a nurse? The answer is a knowledgeable caregiver who is there for us when the body is in misery. We may be at our most vulnerable and then experience a caring fellow with great composure, uplifting smile, wisdom, warm hands and a good mood.”
The Queen also shared a personal story from the time that King Harald was treated for heart failure in 2003. The Norwegian Queen said: “I want to share with you something my husband said after he had a heart surgery and had such good help: Then he called the nurses “My Angels.” You are so important to us.”
The Queen ended her speech by thanking all nurses. She said: “Your work during this time is made more visible and valued in a way that makes more young people want to become nurses. We were recently able to read that more than before are now applying for nursing study. It is gratifying – and gives hope for the future! I would like to send you a warm congratulations on the day to you all! Thank you for everything you are doing! Good luck with your vital work!”
International Nurses Day is an annual event observed around the world on 12 May, the anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s birth, to mark the contributions that nurses make to society. The International Council of Nurses has celebrated this day since 1965.
