DearWorld, AACN Partner on DearNurses Portrait Series

May 12, 2020

Added to Collection

Special collection captures portraits and letters of 40 front-line critical care nurses working in COVID-19 units across south Louisiana


NEW ORLEANS, LA – May 12, 2020 – For its latest portrait collection, “#DearNurses,” DearWorld.org is partnering with the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) to capture portraits and letters of 40 front-line critical care nurses working in COVID-19 units across south Louisiana.

Each subject sat for an interview and a portrait featuring a personal message written on their skin, Dear World’s signature storytelling medium. Each portrait includes a first-person account of the story that inspired the words written on their bodies. The first set of portraits and stories are now available at nurses.dearworld.org.

The critical care nurses shared deeply personal messages of dedication, joy, hope, pain, sacrifice, heartache and fear as they detailed what the last few months have been like treating patients with COVID-19.

“AACN salutes the tens of thousands of nurses who are battling COVID-19 each and every day,” said Megan Brunson, MSN, RN, CNL, CCRN-CSC, the 50th president of the AACN board of directors. “As a longtime critical care nurse, I know how hard these past few months have been. But my colleagues are unwavering and unmatched in their commitment to one another and their communities. We’re proud to partner with DearWorld.org to tell some of their stories.”

“Nurses play meaningful roles in our lives today,” said R.X. Fogarty, Dear World founder. “Our goal is to tell the real stories behind their heroic actions. Their stories will inspire tears, thought and laughter.”

Nurses wishing to create their own #DearNurses story can go to nurses.dearworld.org.

Photos and stories are being made available with broad permission of use with no requests for licensing or compensation from DearWorld.org. You need not get prior written approval unless required by your organization’s protocols. The stories may be used in part or in their entirety. Photos should be credited as follows: DearWorld.org / AACN / Daymon Gardner. Contact kristie.aylett@aacn.org for the downloadable assets.

Please email hello@dearworld.org if you need formal waivers and releases signed for your media organization.

About DearWorld.org: DearWorld.org’s mission is to share stories to be remembered or discovered. Known for iconic message-on-skin portraits and video stories, the charitable organization has captured the meaningful stories of Boston marathon bombing survivors, Syrian Refugees, Orlando Pulse nightclub shooting survivors as well as hundreds of others. DearWorld.org is the 501c3 charitable arm of Dear World. Since 2011, Dear World has worked with some of the world’s most well-known companies and universities to unlock the stories of their people through its storytelling method and a portion of those fees annually go towards underwriting DearWord.org’s work.

About the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses: For more than 50 years, the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) has been dedicated to acute and critical care nursing excellence. The organization’s vision is to create a healthcare system driven by the needs of patients and their families in which acute and critical care nurses make their optimal contribution. AACN is the world's largest specialty nursing organization, with more than 120,000 members and over 200 chapters in the United States.

American Association of Critical-Care Nurses, 27071 Aliso Creek Road, Aliso Viejo, CA 92656; 949-362-2000; www.aacn.org; facebook.com/aacnface; twitter.com/aacnme