3 Belmont Abbey nurses get rare internship aboard Mercy Ships

GASTONIA, N.C. — Only five nursing students in the United States were selected for an internship to join a hospital on the seas. Three of them are local students at Belmont Abbey College.

One of those students, Emma Harris, has wanted to be a nurse since middle school. Now, she’s one of the future interns with Mercy Ships.

“When I was 11, my cousin was diagnosed with an aggressive form of leukemia, and since we were homeschooled, we were able to see her a lot,” Harris told Channel 9’s Evan Donovan.

Her cousin is in remission now, and Harris says it’s not just because of the doctors.

“Doctors are amazing, but it’s the nurses who know which food your kid likes, what stuffed animal they wanna sleep with, their routine, how to get them to do certain things-- because when you have cancer, you don’t wanna do anything, but you have to. And they were the ones who would hide dollar bills around the hospital so she’d get up and walk,” Harris said.

She’s now a rising senior in the nursing program at Belmont Abbey. This summer, she and two of her classmates, Carolina Gutierrez and Eric Dike, have the chance to spend two weeks aboard the Africa Mercy in Madagascar.

Mercy Ships is a nonprofit that provides hospital services on a boat that can travel where it’s needed. Volunteers on the ship perform life-saving surgeries in sub-Saharan Africa. It’s a mission that aligns with Harris’ upbringing and her core values.

“They just emulate the spirit of Christ, going out and finding those who need help. He said, ‘Let the women and children come to me, the sick and the weary,’” Harris said.

Harris has a personal connection as well -- a doctor who worked aboard Mercy Ships also operated on her brother, who was born with clubbed feet.

Students are required to raise $5,000 for Mercy Ships. You can help out by clicking this link.

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