Acadiana Nurse Honor Guard pays tribute to nurses who passed away while in the line of duty
LAFAYETTE, La. (KLFY) -- The Acadiana Nurse Honor Guard hosted a program remembering the nurses who passed away while in the line of duty.
At the ceremony, members of the Acadiana Nurse Guard presented a slideshow of all nurses who have lost their lives saying the words report to duty. Following the presentation, new members were inducted into the Acadiana Nurse Honor Guard. Elizabeth Weber, the director of the Acadian Nurse Guard, worked as a critical nurse for 40 years. She says she wanted to create the guard as a way to honor nurses.
"I happened to see that Kansas State started a nurse honor guard and I read about it, printed it out and said I wanna do this. I want to start this for the state," said Weber.
Weber says she also created the guard to honor her late older sister, who was also a nurse. Weber's older sister died in November 2022 due to a battle with cancer. She describes her sister as a pillar in the community.
"It was an honor and a privilege to pay that respect to her at the time of her death and all her years of nursing, even after she retired from nursing she was a giver, a caregiver, a community worker," said Weber.
Weber says nursing is all about showing love and compassion for your patients.
"You want to treat your patient as they're yours, its a loved one, that's your grandmother, your mother, your sister, your brother lying in that bed, so that's what nursing to me means, its selflessly of your time and energy," Weber explained.
The 24th Annual Nursing Banquet will be held in Lafayette later this week as a second tribute to all nurses.