This gathering followed an elaborate royal ceremony involving the giving and receiving of a plague and certificate, which required two rehearsals and the guidance of about one hundred palace protocol custodians. In a noble room, with dignitaries lined up on both sides, the awardee marched slowly, escorted by Dr. Somchit Hanucharurnkul, a nursing leader from Mahidol University, and the U.S.A. interim ambassador to Thailand, and curtsied twice before Her Royal Highness. After heartwarming citations were read by the President of the National Nursing Council, Dr. Tassana Boontong, and Her Royal Highness, the Princess presented the awardee with a stunning plaque, a certificate and a silver plate, all inscribed with both of their names. In my view, this memorable and once in a lifetime award has three purposes.
First, it celebrates and honors the life and the memory of the Princess's grandmother, Her Royal Highness Princess Srinagarindra Mahidol, for her unprecedented contributions to the Thai people. She understood the suffering of vulnerable populations, the need for access to health care and education, and she traveled throughout Thailand to provide it. She treated the young and the old with dignity, compassion and humanism. And, ahead of her time, she advocated for and led efforts pertaining to environmental sustainability. UNESCO gave her an award for her impactful contributions to human, social and cultural development.
The second purpose for this gathering is to affirm Princess Siridhorn’s continued and expanded support of her grandmother’s vision and goals. In many ways, it is a celebration of Princess Siridhorn as well. She brought education and health care to children in over 800 schools. She too insures that vulnerable populations receive the education and care that they need. She does so with dignity, respect, kindheartedness and incredible generosity of spirit.
The third outcome of this gathering, which honors the life achievements of one global nurse, is honoring ALL nurses globally. By televising the elegant and elaborate ceremony on all Thai news channels, and by taking the time to attend the celebration, all of these leaders in the government, embassies, health and education are acknowledging the centrality of nurses in insuring population’s health and wellbeing. The message is loud and clear - nurses as a major workforce matter to global health, and celebrating nursing royally affirms the discipline’s value and importance. By celebrating one nurse, they celebrate all nurses.
Having been humbled and honored by receiving this award, I understand and interpret its significance not in terms of my achievements. To me the award is an affirmation of the accomplishments and the impact of nurses all over the world. I accepted the award, basked in the celebration rituals and I will cherish the memory because it is embedded in the namesake of a late beloved Princess Srinagarindra, who was also a NURSE. I accepted it with pride because her granddaughter, Princess Siridhorn, supports and values women and nurses. Moreover, I accepted it with a great deal of humility and gratitude because my Thai colleagues, mentees and the global community chose me to receive it. The award’s significance was obvious to the nurses of Thailand and to the attendees who celebrated with me with joy and a great deal of pride.
And finally, I believe that the recommended color of yellow for the occasion’s attire, a royal color, added a sunny, bright and joyful note to the celebration.
Like many in the Thailand nursing community, I am most grateful to Dr. Tassana Boontong, Dean Emerita of Mahidol University and President of the Thailand Nursing Council, for her leadership in obtaining government funds to support nurses getting PhDs from national and international universities. I am convinced that I would not have received this tremendous honor if I had not had the privilege of mentoring many of those who pursued their PhD education due to the availability of those funds. Many of these mentees became leaders in their own right, including my dear friends, Dr. Siriorn Sindhu and Dr. Ameporn Ratinthorn. I also believe that this award was another visionary initiative by Dr. Boontong to acknowledge nursing and nurses worldwide.
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