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Clarissa Harlowe Barton was the epitome of a superwoman during her time, and she started her nursing career at a young age. When Clara was 11 years old, her brother David fell from a barn roof and injured his head. Although doctors said he would most likely die, Clara was determined to nurse him back to health. She slept on a small cot in David’s room and tended him night and day for almost two years. Clara would have worked all her life if she could, but was forced to resign from the American Red Cross at age 83. Employees complained of poor leadership and concerns about her age and health. While nobody could deny Barton’s accomplishments, she was not easy to work with. For a time, she even dyed her hair, wore makeup, and claimed she was younger than she was to allay concerns about her health. Even after her resignation, her career wasn’t over. She founded the National First Aid Society and later published an autobiography at age 86. Barton finally passed away in her Glen Echo home from pneumonia on April 12, 1912. She never married or had children, but lived as an independent woman, determined to prove she could do anything a man could.
posted by
Sherri_G
on July 21, 2025 at 7:59 AM
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I don't remember studying this heroine in history class (early 1950s) but they didn't respect women so much in the 1860s, or even a hundred years later as I recall. Thank you for writing about this amazing woman and the founding of the Red Cross. Amazing!
posted by
Pat_B
on July 21, 2025 at 7:37 AM
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I was older when I went into nursing, but it was the love of my life. I became an RN and worked along very happily. Once a nurse, always a nurse, and even if my methods are a bit antiquated now, they still do the repair job I want them to do.
posted by
Kabu
on July 21, 2025 at 7:06 AM
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