Meet Davie Johnson of TX: Nursing a passion: Mentor, friend, colleague inspires others - El Paso Times

Davie Johnson's first nursing job in the early 1950s was in a segregated Baptist hospital in Little Rock, Ark.

She worked in what the hospital called its "colored ward."

"The Catholic and Baptist nursing schools in Little Rock were only two miles from my home, but they did not accept black students," Johnson said. "So I had to attend the school in St. Louis, Missouri. Then the Baptist hospital in Little Rock hired me after I graduated."

Back then, even buses were segregated. Blacks had to sit toward the back.

"To save money, I skipped riding the bus, which was six cents for a round trip, and walked six or seven miles each day. We only rode the bus when the weather was bad."

Eventually, Johnson received two master's degrees and a license in social work. To put herself through school, she worked as an elevator operator at a department store.

She has taught nursing students at the University of Texas at El Paso, where she developed a gerontology course, and at El Paso Community College.

Many El Pasoans know her through her work at hospitals and as the nursing home ombudsman for the Area Agency on Aging.

What many don't know is that both her legs were amputated below the knee in 2008. But that, too, proved to be only a temporary setback, as the 80-year-old nurse is again working and teaching other nurses.

"I can't stop, because being a nurse is my passion," Johnson said. "I especially love working with the elderly. My second master's degree is in aging."

Johnson developed peripheral artery disease and lost circulation in both her legs.

"I've always advocated a healthy lifestyle and health screenings, but this caught me off guard," she said. "I don't have diabetes. I did not smoke or drink, and I was vegetarian for several years before this happened. I learned that some people have a genetic predisposition for PAD, and high cholesterol runs in our family."

Before the amputation, the always thin Johnson was almost 5 feet 7 inches tall. Now she is half a foot shorter.

Television networks are now running spots to raise awareness about peripheral artery disease, a condition that develops when cholesterol becomes the plaque that blocks arteries. According to the American Heart Association, about 12 million people develop the disease each year. Tests can help to detect PAD, which may be treated with drugs, diet, exercise and surgery.

Signs include fatigue and cramps in limbs, although sometimes there are no obvious symptoms.

Yvette Lugo, director of the Area Agency on Aging, first met Johnson in 1996, before each worked for the agency.

"She's such an amazing woman, and I want to be just like her in my later years," Lugo said. "When I was with Project Amistad and we worked with her, she was often called on as an expert witness for the probate court on matters dealing with the elderly.

"I admire her intelligence and what she stands for. After her amputations, she told us, 'Don't be sad for me. I'll be fine.' "

Johnson worked as a registered nurse at University Medical Center and at Beaumont Army Medical Center. She was a risk manager for the Texas Veterans Home in Northeast El Paso, and worked at the Nazareth Hall Catholic nursing home before the amputations.

As the nursing home ombudsman, she served as a liaison between residents and nursing home staffs and the residents' families for a six-county region. Her job was to make sure that residents received quality care.

Johnson said she owes her love of teaching to a former teacher who made a difference in her life.

"My first nursing school did not tolerate any mistakes or bad grades," she said. "You either got it or you were out. It was the same with the first hospital I worked for. It's not that way with our schools today.

"I had a teacher who called me to her office at a time when I was distracted by a boyfriend. She told me if I did not bring my grade up, I was going to fail and be dropped. I raised my grade up to an A.

"She warned me when there was still time to remedy the situation. She told me, 'A bad start doesn't mean you can't have a good ending.' I've used the same approach, that of being flexible and encouraging with my students since then."

Several years ago, Johnson saw her old teacher at a national nursing convention.

"I went up to her and wept and told her how much she had influenced me," Johnson said.

Johnson has also left her mark on a new generation of nurses, among them El Pasoan Alicia DeJong Davis, formerly a journalist. She said it was Johnson who helped her discover her true calling.

"Davie is a mentor, friend and colleague whom I am proud to know," said Davis, who is working on an international degree in gerontology from an institution in the Netherlands.

"It was she who motivated me to specialize in gerontology. I did my social service and clinical training in Juárez," Davis said. "I've traveled to Europe as part of my gerontology program. I also share Davie's view that elderly people are not valued highly enough by our society. I know of elderly people who were ill and were denied further care simply because of their age. This has got to change."

Johnson complained that the gerontology course she started at UTEP is still only an elective for nursing students. She said it should be a required course, if only because millions of baby boomers soon will become senior citizens.

Johnson came to the El Paso region when her husband, who was in the Air Force, was stationed at White Sands Missile Range.

Johnson and her husband had six children, three boys and three girls. One was stillborn, and a set of premature twin boys died two hours after birth.

Her husband also died, and he and the boys are buried at the Fort Bliss National Cemetery. Their middle daughter died seven years ago.

"I thank God I still have my two daughters," Johnson said.

Johnson uses the Sun Metro Lift service to ride to work, to the gym and to church. When she's at home, she's doing research on the computer, reading and listening to music.

Friends said Johnson celebrates her birthdays at the gym.

Willie Brown, activities director at the Texas State Veterans Home, said he met Johnson when she was a nursing director at Providence Memorial Hospital. He also worked with her during her time at the veterans home.

"Davie has always been full of life and energetic," Brown said. "She is a top-notch professional, a perfectionist, always an educator. She is all about sharing and helping others.

"I haven't seen her since she lost her limbs. But, I know the community hasn't seen the last of her. She will be back at work, and will never retire."