‘American nose, Taiwanese heart!’

In 1958, Sister Mary Paul Watts, then a young and beautiful 25-year-old in the prime of her life, spent 15 days aboard a ship travelling from Chicago on the east coast of the U.S. to the mountains of Chiayi. Today, after 50 years, Sister Mary Paul Watts is now close to 80 years old but still very much concerned about the health and medical treatment of those living in the outlying areas of Taiwan. “My need is not of an award, but of a nursing college… I hope to open a hospital in Alishan”, said Sister Watts on receipt of the 22nd Medical Contribution Award (第二十二屆醫療奉獻獎). Over the past several years, she has made frequent fund-raising trips between Taiwan and America. In 1966, she helped build the St. Martin De Porres Hospital (天主教聖馬爾定醫院), and four years later established Chung Jen College of Nursing, Health Science and Management (崇仁醫護管理專科學校), from where many graduates return to the serve the mountain areas, forming an indispensable medical force in those areas. Possessing a lifelong connection with Taiwan, Sister Mary Paul Watts said: "I have an American nose, but a Taiwanese heart … I have a large nose and my skin is rather to fair, but my heart is truly Taiwanese, and as long as the state of my health permits, I will strive to continually improve the fields of medicine and education in Taiwan! "

PeoPo 公民新聞

‘American nose, Taiwanese heart!’
URL: http://www.peopo.org/news/100832

(以下是中文對照)

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「美國鼻子、台灣心」 ( 開心就好 )

1958年，25歲花樣年華的美籍修女華淑芳(Sister Mary Paul Watts)隻身搭船18天，遠 從美國東岸芝加哥，來到嘉義山區。50幾年了，華淑芳如今80歲，依然關切著台灣這塊土地上，所有偏遠、困苦民眾的醫療和健康。華淑芳榮獲「第二十二屆醫 療奉獻獎」，她表示：「我不要什麼獎，我只要一所護專」、「我希望能在阿里山蓋醫院」。她連續幾年奔走台美兩地募款，1966年興建天主教聖馬爾定醫院，4 年後籌設崇仁醫護管理專科學校，培育護理人才，許多人畢業後，回到山區服務，成為山區醫療不可或缺的生力軍。畢生心繫台灣的華淑芳自稱：「美國鼻子、台灣 心」，她說「雖然我的鼻子太大，皮膚太白，但是我有顆愛台灣的心，只要健康狀況許可，我會繼續為台灣的醫療及教育努力！」

為擴大服務範圍，自2010年4月起，PeoPo每周精選三則公民報導及相關活動與發展，翻譯成英文摘要，讓更多關心台灣公民新聞的朋友，瞭解台灣在地大小事。