For more than four decades, Virginia Hubble has taken part in thousands of the most intimate moments of family life. As a labor and delivery nurse at Integris Baptist Medical Center in Oklahoma City, she has guided families through the best of times and some of the worse times of their lives.
Hubble and her husband Dennis are long-time parishioners of Epiphany of the Lord Catholic Church where she sings in the choir, is a cantor and lector. Hubble said the career chose her.
“I have not climbed a corporate ladder as I have found my happiness and fulfillment in being at the bedside. I feel it is important to have balance in one's life and staying active at the bedside keeps my body, mind and spirit in harmony,” she said.
Although many days are joyful, she said some are difficult. There are patients with drug addiction, rape victims, homeless women and those placing a child for adoption. And, some days tragedies occur.
“Working with our bereaved mothers and families has allowed me to experience profound respect for the journey these families undertake. I just hope my words and actions ease the burden they bear,” Hubble said.
Hubble’s daughter, Kyra, said about her mom and co-worker, “She’s the most requested nurse on the floor. She is the matriarch of the unit. She makes the patients feel like she’s got them, and they will have a safe journey. She eases their fears about the day.”
Hubble’s daughter-in-law Emily Hubble echoed those sentiments. “Virginia is just a wealth of knowledge in labor and delivery. She is someone everyone can go to and ask questions, especially the new nurses.”
Asked how her faith influences her career, Hubble said, “I couldn’t do this without my faith. “Every day I enter the hospital, I pray to God for myself, my colleagues and my patients to have the knowledge, strength and courage to make appropriate decisions to help provide the best of care and deliver babies safely into this world,” she said.
Recently, Hubble received a lifetime achievement award from the March of Dimes.
The award recognizes and promotes bedside nurses who have made a significant impact and contribution in the lives of mothers and babies. Part of the qualifications for the award includes practicing and having a minimum of 35 years of experience and being an ongoing inspiration.
Hubble said she was surprised by the honor and humbled.
“I tell patients I have the immense privilege to be a part of one of the most important days of their lives. They may only experience birth once or twice in their lifetimes, while I get to experience it almost every day. I am still in awe of the miracle before me.”
Judy Hilovsky is a freelance writer for the Sooner Catholic.
Photo:Daughter-in-law Emily (left) and daughter Kyra (right) love working with their mom Virginia Hubble. Photo provided.