Mary McDermott

I wanted to be a pro quarterback in high school but my all-girls school didn't have a team so I became one of the first women ocean lifeguards on the East Coast, out to end gender-specific jobs before moving to Kyoto at 22. As if I was 100 years old looking back on my life, I often told my 'younger' self to go: live, dream, do. Learning how to read, write and speak Japanese in college I continued it and translated around the world, from Alaska to Korea, Hiroshima to Okinawa, Ireland and Costa Rica. I saw a deeper need though - for medical care - so I returned to school at night and after seven years, became a registered nurse. Deep loss, profound change and many close deaths has taught me what - and who- matters in life. The small, the elderly, people on the edge, animals, those without a voice, those who can't speak or won't - that is where my heart lies Through my life, I bring words to their stories, and mine,.