Her caregiving never stops.
A Brooklyn nurse uses her free time to care for people abroad. Guyanese-American nurse technician Angela Grant, who works at The Brooklyn Hospital Center, often uses two to three weeks of her vacation time to provide charity to the needy in Guyana and a few other countries in the Caribbean. She says her drive to care for others overrides her personal desires.
“People always ask me why don’t I just enjoy my vacation, but I won’t be able to do that unless I’m changing a life in some way or changing the direction of some lives,” said Grant.
In her travels to Guyana, she provides care to children, expecting mothers, and adults suffering from human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Having lost three siblings to the virus, and an overall dedication to her career, Grant says it was not just their loss that pushed her give back but a lifelong motivation.
“I’ve always been an active person who has a compassion for those who are less fortunate,” she said. “I always saw a need to bring hope to people’s life, and I saw that there was a need for that.”
Upon arrival on her trip Grant says she gets right to work from the start of her vacation to the end.
“When I get there it’s usually work for me,” she said. “I have people who come to bring stuff for me, I have appointment dates, and I travel while I’m there so I’m exhausted when I come back sometimes.”
Raised in St. Lucia, which she calls her second home, Grant also travels between both countries to do her mission. And she meets up with grassroots organizations and medical facilities to assist her in getting aid to the poor. With more than a decade of doing this work, she is wholly dedicated to it.
Her efforts are funded mostly by donations and support from local groups. Grant has even made trips to neighboring countries Suriname and Venezuela. She has scheduled a forthcoming trip to the latter to assist indigenous women with post-pregnancy care packages that contain bottles, disposable diapers and other necessities for newborns.
Grant’s presence and charitable work in these countries has made her a recognizable face for some locals. Often on her trips, local newspapers and outlets following along and file reports sharing her efforts, Grant said gratefully.
She says she wants to continue doing providing care to the Caribbean’s most vulnerable, and will only stop when she retires. But for now, she says she wants to also inspire others to love their fellow human beings as much as she does, and lend a helping hand.
“I really love people from the bottom of my heart to the soles of my feet and whatever I can do to help, I’m willing to do. My main thing is loving people unconditionally,” said Grant.
