Nominee
2010 Outstanding Woman Award

Name: Eugenia Thelma Brunings
Birth date: January 10, 1931 (79)

Midwife Thelma started her career in 1954 at the age of 22 after studying in The Netherlands. She started as an independent midwife and worked from the East to the West of the island of Curacao to help women deliver their babies. As an independent midwife, she met situation where many women, especially those living outside of the city could not pay her and that turned her into midwife/social worker and philanthropist since she did not charge women who could not pay. She however started to charge those who could pay double making her a modern time Robin Hood.

It was a gratifying but intense working situation. She chose therefore especially with the care also of her here children to take a fulltime job in February 1965 at the Local St. Elisabeth Hospital where she worked until she retired on January 31, 1991.
Thelma Brunings was the first fulltime midwife working at the St. Elisabeth Hospital where she was active in the Ana Pavilion the 3rd class women section in the hospital.
She considers gynecologist Dr. Sergio Leon to be one of her best teachers in the hospital but must acknowledge that they has a good team working in the hospital. ‘I worked without looking at my watch she says’, acknowledging that the night shifts form 20.00 till 09.00 were tough, especially with the fact that she had 3 small children then.
She is proud to know that more than five thousand kids came in this world through her hands.

Nominated by the online newspaper: Korant Verídiko II