Further up de road, ah stop by ah ole friend who presented me wid ah newspaper clipping dat made my day. On de newspaper story was ah picture of our own Dr. Veronica Elizabeth Francois-Kydd a Vincentian from de Carib Country. She is de daughter of Marie Francois and Hudson Kydd both from Sandy Bay, but both have gone to de great beyond. Ah knew Hudson, he rode ah big motor-bike and uses to wuk at Gibson’s Building Supplies. But Dr Francois got her Primary School foundation at de Sandy Bay Anglican School; den she attended Emmanuel High School, Mespo. She graduated at de School of Nursing in 1984, den she began her illustrious Nursing Career at de General Hospital now Milton Cato General. She spent de next seven years serving her home community wuking in de clinics at Fancy, Owia, Sandy Bay and finally at Georgetown before migrating to de USA in 1991, from thence she began her educational journey in 1993.

So dis poor lickle nurse girl who grew up in Sandy Bay when dey was no electricity, no pipe borne water, no telephone, Sandy Bay road was among de worst in de country back den, was however able to put all ah dat behind her and make ah name foh her-self, her humble “Carib Family and Community” and her country.

From de day she set foot in de USA, she declared War pon de Books, and over de last nineteen years, is like she plant every letter in de Alphabet behind her name: BS, MS, DNP, RN, FNP-BC, APRN, CNMT, RT(N). Her academic achievements include an Associate of Applied Science (AAS) in Nuclear Medicine Technology from the City University of New York (CUNY), two Bachelors degree, ah Bachelor of Science (BS) Degree in Advance Radiologic Science and Health Care Administration from Manhattan College, and ah BS in Nursing from Long Island University. Dr Francois holds ah Master’s degree (MS) in Nursing with Post Master Certificate as a Family Nurse Practitioner from Long Island University, and Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Degree from Pace University in New York.

De article continued by stating dat Dr. Francois-Kydd has published an article in the Bronx times Newspaper, a Systematic Review Protocol in the National Institute for Health Research, and The Joanna Briggs institute of Australia Database for Clinical Guidelines and Systematic Reviews. Recently, Dr. Francois-Kydd also Co-Authored a chapter in a Nursing text book: Decision Making for Nursing Leaders, 2nd edition. At present Dr. Francois-Kydd is practicing at the Montefiore Medical Center in the Department of Nuclear Medicine/Nuclear Cardiology a division of Radiology.

Ah happen to know Dr V thru Natty and Clyde her niece and nephew, very modest family. She was here last year foh her sister’s funeral. Ah asked how she was doing and casually she said she was fighting wid de hard times, was still in de nursing business and so on; but no boasting talk bout degrees and her job accomplishments. Dah couldn’t be some other sons/daughters ah dis soil.

Yuh couldn’t stop dem bragging bout de (low/no temperature) Degrees and de big job dey have, but not Veronica, she ain’t forget she humble beginnings, way she come from; what’s important, she knows who she is and way she wants to reach. Ah congratulate Dr V as she joins ah number ah Vincentian Nurses who have gained dey Doctorate, but like herself, have remained cool like a ah cucumber bout it! And wid dat is gone ah gone again.

One Love Bassy

Bassy Alexander is a land surveyor, folklorist and social commentator.