by Carol Duerksen
Sometimes, when “mid-life” arrives, a person buys a flashy new car. Gets a face lift. Ends a marriage and starts over.
Irene Lehrman of Goessel, Kansas, became a nurse.
“After our children grew up and left home, I began thinking about what sort of legacy I had left them,” Irene explained. “What had I done that made a positive difference in the lives of others? Becoming a nurse seemed to be a way to develop into a person who could answer that question with satisfaction and contentment.”
Although she was working as a successful realtor, it wasn’t like Irene didn’t have a track record for being involved in the medical field. She was an EMT on the Goessel First Response Team, along with a friend, Brenda Cress. She and Brenda talked each other into entering Hesston’s nursing program, and they spent many hours studying together. “Many times we’d look at each other and say ‘Can you believe we are doing this? This is SO GREAT!’” Irene recalled.
“Hesston’s program exceeded my expectations by leaps and bounds! It was intense, but so well worth the commitment it took to get through it. If I ever had any questions or needed directions, Marilyn (Unruh Flaming) always knew the answer or where to find it. She is a great support person to the nursing students and staff. It was such a great feeling to walk into the school and see her smiling face and be able to interact with someone who always has such a positive attitude and bright outlook on life.”
Irene praises Hesston’s instructors, saying that they were “approachable and always willing to provide guidance when needed. Joyce (Huber), Jean (Smucker Rodgers), Ruby (Graber), Sondra (Leatherman), Rita Peters, and Mary Creasser—each one in her own way set a tremendous example to live up to and follow for those watching and learning from them.”
Nursing classes at Hesston College aren’t all “nursing classes.” One of the requirements is Biblical Literature, a semester-long class that is packed into the month of May for nursing students.
“Taking Bib Lit with Rosie Jantz as the instructor was a great experience.” Irene said. “I loved the class! It was very concentrated. Rosie taught it very well—she is enthusiastic about the topic and about teaching. I grew to love and respect her a great deal.
 Irene receives her Class of 2007 nursing pin from Sondra Leatherman, nursing faculty member. |
“Hesston College opened the door to an adventure that has been amazing and full of surprises. I look forward to going to work every night as I know it holds a learning opportunity as well as a rewarding time of service to a population of people in desperate need of therapeutic care. I have the privilege of working with other Hesston graduates and we have shared experiences of life and death, hope and heartbreak, knowing and learning anew. I go to bed absolutely exhausted and wake up barely able to move. At times I feel I am too old to have this much adventure in my life.”
Irene is employed in the Emergency Department at Via Christi Health Systems, St. Joseph Campus, Wichita, Kan. She credits numerous “heroes” who inspired her to become a nurse: her daughter, who is an OB nurse and an instructor at Pueblo Community College in Colorado; her sister, who is a nurse in internal medicine in Columbia, Mo.; and her daughter-in-law, who is a Hesston graduate of 2006 and now works at Youthville in Newton.
“One of the great things about our class is that we all have made the effort to continue to stay in touch,” Irene said. “Before school was out, Ardell Yoder’s wife made a list of all our contact information so that we could stay in touch. A group of us regularly send encouraging e-mails and stories of what we have experienced to each other. We are working on trying to get together for a luncheon or dinner to visit in person. We may have to have more than one meeting as we are all working different hours, but I have no doubt we will get together before Christmas.”
Sometimes, in mid-life, a person gets into something new for herself. Irene Lehrman got into nursing for others, and found life for herself.
—Carol Duerksen ’74, is a freelance writer from Goessel, Kansas.
* Definition of “dinkin” from Irene: “It can mean going to garage sales, to lunch, or just ‘bumming around’ and bein’ with friends. It’s a great rejuvenating activity to take a dinkin’ day.”
Hesston College Nursing department