The strongest earthquake in 25 years rattled the country of Taiwan on April 3, 2024. As of Saturday, April 6, over a thousand people were reported injured, 400 remained trapped, and six people were still missing. Taiwan is still feeling the aftershocks of the 7.4 magnitude earthquake, second only to one in 1999 that reached 7.7. The death count has reached 13.
In a brave effort to protect the lives of Taiwan’s youngest citizens, four nurses in the Ma Chérie Postpartum Care Center in Taipei jumped into action during the strong earthquake instead of fleeing for their own safety. A video recording of their actions was published by The Guardian.
Gathering about 13 newborn-filled cots into the center of the nursery, the nurses developed a valiant strategy to save the newborns from the immediate earthquake danger. They held the wheeled-cots together in a group to reduce any tumult the newborns felt. In the process, they pulled them away from the window, which posed the risk of shattering all over the newborns during the quake. Keeping the newborns stabilized in this way, the nurses held them until the earthquake was over.
All the nurses shared the same mindset: protecting the vulnerable.
“Of course we were scared, very scared, but I think this is the natural instinct of a maternity staff,” Chen Ting-Chin, the supervisor of Ma Cherie Maternity Centre said in an interview with the Guardian. “The safety of the babies is of utmost importance.”
Another nurse, Aly, shared the same sentiment: “When the earthquake struck, we didn’t have time to be scared. Our priority was to ensure the safety of the babies.”
A third nurse, Elaine, said, “Those working in health care can relate. Hopefully our actions inspire people to act with kindness. Please cherish those around you, life is precious.”
These nurses exemplify sacrificial love as they put their young patients’ safety over their own.
