Mission Possible: Celebrating Women's Strength and Persistence

Pattie Tucker, BSN, MPH, DrPH

Over the weekend, I attended a women’s day event. The event’s speaker shared a personal story about her mother’s near fatal car accident and how on the day of the accident the doctors tried to prepare her family for the worst. Her mother’s prognosis for survival was bleak and if she survived, she would live in a vegetative state. Despite the doctor’s prognosis, ‘my mother defied the odds and today she is an active older adult,’ the speaker exclaimed as she pointed to her mother sitting in the audience. I turned and watched the speaker’s mother smile and blow kisses to her daughter and wave to the audience. Yes, the speaker’s mother was indeed a survivor of a nearly fatal accident over four decades ago. The doctors said she wouldn’t make it; nevertheless, she persisted through therapy and is alive today to tell her story.

Read more about women that have demonstrated their strength and persistence to overcome life challenges and achieve awesome accomplishments. They have also contributed to making the mission possible of “healthy lives for everyone” through their work in science, law, medicine, and social justice.