I met Bridget on one of my last days in Mkar, Nigeria. Chelsea (another RN) and I had been blowing up balloons on the pediatric ward and decided to go next door to the HIV ward. We started blowing up balloons and giving out lollipops to the women on the ward and they were so excited. Chelsea and I started writing messages on the balloons and on Bridget's I wrote "you are special", thinking it was not such an astounding statement. She struggled to sit up (she was very weak), and just sat and read "you are special" over and over. I don't think she had been told that before, especially since being diagnosed with HIV. We created a bond over a pink balloon that I will never forget.
