Not just anyone can be as selfless and brave as a nurse. Eleanor Dahman is that person. Eleanor is kind and brave and so incredibly caring. She has been my very good friend for years and there’s a good reason for that. Eleanor loves to help people, that’s just the kind of person she is. She’s always the first person to run over to help a stranger no matter what. She is always eager to help just because she wants to help.

Eleanor was born and grew up in Kimilchie, her parents divorced at six years old and it was very hard for her. After her parents divorced Eleanor had to go back and forth between her parents from Shelton to Olympia. Eleanor went to Griffen for Elementary and Middle School, a very small school where everyone knew each other. It wasn’t always the best environment for her. She wasn’t very well liked and didn’t have many friends.

By the time Eleanor and I met each other it was our freshman year of High School. She was the kindest person I’d ever met. In the first week of knowing her I tripped really bad outside on the Capital lawn, I tore up my back and was bleeding through my shirt. Of course Eleanor was right there with a bandage and walked me to the nurse.

Eleanor will be attending the Pacific Lutheran University’s nursing program this next fall. She is currently taking college nursing classes so she can start nursing as soon as possible. Even in her free time she’s doing anything she can to start helping others.

Eleanors passion for nursing came at a very young age, when she was eight or ten years old her mom got very sick and was stuck in bed. It quickly became her duty to be a caregiver to her younger brother. “I like the feeling of helping someone, I like helping people who are hurting”.

Eleanor knew that nursing was the career she wanted to pursue when she went camping with her Dad. During the trip, while they were talking around the fire about what she wanted to do with her life, they saw a young boy fall off his bike across the camp site. Seeing this Eleanor rushed over and helped and bandaged the little boy up. After she finished she walked back to her campsite feeling confused and sad that no one else came to this boy’s aid. As she was returning to her spot at the fire her Dad said that maybe she should be a nurse and in that moment, she knew that was what she was made to do.

Eleanor Dahman is one of the most caring and selfless individuals I’ve ever gotten the privilege to know. She is just so amazing and unique and she is going to help so many people. I love Eleanor with all my heart and if you got to know her you definitely would too.