Who am I?
By Brooklyn Hoerdt
I was born in Florence,
Italy on May 12, of 1820
to a wealthy family.
• I was a very clever child. I was taught at home with my older sister.
My parents wanted me to get married.
I had other ideas and travelled in Europe looking at hospitals.
I visited sick people at their homes.
In 1837, when I was 17, I felt a “calling” to help people.
In 1854 the Crimean War broke out – England was at war with
Russia
People in England heard that soldiers in hospitals were poorly
treated.
I was invited to take a group of 38 female nurses to work in
hospitals in the Crimea.
I died of old age in 1910. I was buried near my parents’ home in Hampshire.
I am remembered today as the person responsible for improving conditions in hospitals and making nursing an acceptable job.
If a lightbulb flashed in your head and you said Florence Nightingale…you are right!